Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays Preview
From Progressive Field in Cleveland, we have the Rays and Guardians facing off in an AL matchup. First pitch for this one is set for 1:40 PM ET. BSSUN is carrying this one on TV.
The Guardians are favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -134 compared to the Rays at +114. Sunday’s pitching matchup features Taj Bradley for the Rays and Ben Lively for the Guardians. In the AL East, the Rays are 4th with a record of 73-76, while the Guardians are 1st in the AL Central at 85-64.
Check out BetCoco for Cleveland Guardians – Tampa Bay Rays odds
Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays Trends and Key Stats
- 2-3 is the record of Rays in their last five road games. They have also gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
- The Guardians, on the other hand, have played five home games recently, during which they have recorded a 3-2 (SU) and 3-2 record.
- In their last ten games as the favorite, the Guardians have a record of 7-3 straight-up, and have gone 7-3 against the runline.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Rays have a 4-6 straight-up record and a 7-3 record vs. the runline.
Cleveland cruised to a 6-1 win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians had a huge 2nd inning, scoring six of their eight runs. As for the Rays, they scored their only run in the 5th. Heading into the game, the Guardians were favored at -141 on the money line.
Joey Cantillo only went five innings for the Guardians but didn’t give up a run and finished with six strikeouts. He picked up a win in the game, while Tyler Alexander took the loss for the Rays. Drew Rasmussen only went two innings for the Rays, giving up one run on one hit.
Cleveland’s offense was led by Lane Thomas and Jose Ramirez, as they were the only two Guardians hitters to have more than one hit. Thomas also hit the game’s only home run. As for the Rays, Junior Caminero went 3/4 with an RBI.
Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction
Tampa Bay is 73-76 overall, which puts them 4th in the AL East, two games behind the Red Sox for the 3rd spot in the division. Currently, they trail the Yankees by 13 games in the AL East. The Rays are winning the series vs. the Guardians and have an overall series record of 22-19-6.
At home, the Rays are 37-38 this year and 36-38 on the road. They have really struggled as the underdog this year, going 38-46, compared to 35-30 as the favorite. Tampa Bay has dropped six of their last ten games overall.
When the Rays win, they win big, with an average run margin of 2.8 runs per game. But when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.5 runs per game. Overall, the Rays are 77-72 against the run line, and they are 43-31 against the run line on the road.
The Tampa Bay Rays are on the road today against the Cleveland Guardians. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.1 runs. Tampa Bay has gone over the total in 65 of their 141 games this season, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 16-21-1. The under has hit in each of the last 4 games for the Rays.
Taj Bradley gets the start for the Rays today as he faces off against the Guardians on the road. So far this season, he has made 22 starts and has a record of 6-10 with an ERA of 4.40. Bradley’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.22. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had lost three straight starts. Bradley’s ERA for the season is 5.85 on the road compared to 5.59 at home.
Yandy Diaz comes into the game as the Rays’ top hitter this season, batting .283 with 14 homers and 65 RBIs. He has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/21 in his last six games. Christopher Morel is the team’s leader in homers (21) but is hitting just .198 for the season. Brandon Lowe is 2nd on the team with 18 homers but is batting just .241.
As a team, the Rays are averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is the worst mark in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS. Tampa Bay is also one of the worst teams in terms of striking out, averaging 9 per game.
Cleveland comes into today’s game vs. the Rays with an overall record of 85-64, which has them leading the AL Central by three games over the Royals. The Guardians will be looking to pick up a win at home, where they are 44-27 this season. On the road, Cleveland is 41-37.
So far, the Guardians have gone 27-21 against other teams in the AL Central. As for how they have fared in other matchups, the Guardians are 60-32 as the favorite and 39-20 as the favorite at home. Their overall series record this year is 27-15-5.
When the Cleveland Guardians are favored, they are 43-49 on the run line, but when they are the underdog, they are 32-25. Their overall run line record is 75-74, and their average run differential is +0.5 runs per game. They have been a better run line team on the road (41-37) than at home (34-37).
The Cleveland Guardians have an over/under record of 66-72 this season, with an average combined run average of 8.4 runs per game. The over/under line for today’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays is set at 8 runs. When the line has been set at 8 runs this season, the Guardians have gone 13-16-6. The over/under line for their games has been set at 8 runs in 46.3% of their games this season.
Ben Lively gets the start for the Guardians today and comes in with a record of 11-9 and an ERA of 4.01. So far this season, he has made 26 starts, and opponents are batting .236 off the right-hander. Lively’s last outing came on September 10th, where he went just two innings, giving up two hits and no earned runs. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight starts. Lively’s ERA at home is 4.29, compared to 4.1 on the road.
Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have been two of the league’s top power hitters this season, as they are 1st and 2nd on the team in home runs and are 2nd and 5th in the league in RBIs. Ramirez is also on a seven-game hitting streak, and he is batting .270 for the season. Naylor comes into the game with a batting average of .244.
As a team, the Guardians are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a better offense at home, averaging 4.8 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .238, which is 15th in the league, and have the 12th most home runs in the league.
Our prediction for today’s Rays vs. Guardians game is to take the Guardians on the money line at -134. We have the Guardians winning this one by a final score of 5-4. With the over/under sitting at 8 runs, we would take the over if you’re looking to go with a run total.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Ben Lively finishing with four strikeouts compared to Taj Bradley with six. However, Lively is projected to finish with a better ERA than Bradley, and in terms of team projections, the Guardians lineup is predicted to finish with more hits than the Rays.
Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Tips
- Take the Guardians on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Rays (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Cleveland Guardians Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Carrasco | Out | Hip |
| Alex Cobb | Out | Finger |
| Sam Hentges | Out | Shoulder |
| Ben Lively | Questionable | Thigh |
| Shane Bieber | Out | Elbow |
| Trevor Stephan | Out | Elbow |
| James Karinchak | Out | Shoulder |
| Steven Kwan | Questionable | Back |
Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Wander Franco | Out | Personal |
| Jeffrey Springs | Out | Elbow |
| Colin Poche | Out | Shoulder |
| Shane McClanahan | Out | Elbow |
| Richie Palacios | Out | Knee |
| Jacob Waguespack | Out | Shoulder |
| Pete Fairbanks | Out | Lat |
| Christopher Morel | Questionable | Achilles |
