Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians Preview
The Guardians are the favorites on the money line today, as they are at -113 compared to the Rays, who are at -105. This AL matchup is set for 4:10 PM ET from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Cleveland is currently on a three-game losing streak, and they are 57-36 overall, which has them first in the AL Central. The Rays have won two straight and are 47-47, putting them fourth in the AL East.
Saturday’s over/under line is sitting at 7.5 runs, and BSSUN is carrying the game on TV. Gavin Williams is starting for the Guardians, and he is facing off against Zack Littell for the Rays.
Check out BetCoco for Tampa Bay Rays – Cleveland Guardians odds
Tampa Bay Rays Trends and Key Stats
- Across their last five road games, the Guardians are 1-4. This includes going 0-5 vs. the runline.
- Conversely, the Rays have achieved a 1-4 (SU) record and 1-4 record in their last five home games.
- Over the last ten games, Guardians has a record of 6-4 when playing as favorites and 4-6 when playing as underdogs.
- 5-5 is the record of the Rays as the favorite, while their record as the underdog stands at 7-3.
Tampa Bay picked up a 2-0 win over the Indians in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had just two more hits than the Indians and struck out eight times, but still picked up a win. Heading into the game, they were favored at -138 on the money line.
Both teams scored one run in the first inning, and the Indians were held in check the rest of the way. As for the Rays, they scored the game’s go-ahead run in the 5th, and the Indians couldn’t muster any offense after that.
Carlos Carrasco got the start for the Indians, going just five innings while giving up one run and striking out three. He took the loss in the game. Taj Bradley put together a good outing for the Rays, getting the win after going seven innings and striking out eight.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction
Cleveland is leading the AL Central with a record of 57-36, which puts them 4.5 games ahead of the Twins. The Guardians are on a three-game losing streak, and this losing streak has come after winning four straight. So far, they have gone 15-13 in divisional games.
At home, the Guardians have been great this year, going 30-11. But on the road, they are just above .500 at 27-25. This season, they have been good as the favorite, going 41-20, and they are an even 16-16 as the underdog. Cleveland lost the series opener vs. the Rays and are 20-8-2 in series this year.
When the Cleveland Guardians are on the road, they have a run line record of 26-26. They have a run line record of 47-46 overall this season. They have a run line record of 20-12 as an underdog, and their average run margin in winning games is 3.4 runs.
When the Cleveland Guardians are on the road, the over has hit in 15 of their 25 games (60%) when the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. The Guardians have a combined run average of 8.8 runs per game, and their games have an average over/under line of 8 runs. Overall, the over has hit in 47 of their 87 games (54%) this season.
Gavin Williams will be making his third start of the season for the Guardians, and he will be on the road against the Rays. In his first start, he went 4 innings and took the loss, giving up 5 runs. But he bounced back in his last start, going 5 1/3 innings and not allowing a run, but he did give up 4 hits and 1 walk.
So far this season, the Guardians offense has been good, averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 8th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.1 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .244, which is 9th in the league, and are also near the top of the league in home runs. Cleveland is also one of the better teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts.
Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have been two of the league’s top run producers so far, as Ramirez’s 77 RBIs are 2nd in the league, and Naylor’s 70 RBIs are 3rd. Naylor is also 2nd on the team with 22 homers, while Ramirez leads the Guardians with 23 homers. Steven Kwan has been on a tear of late, going 9/28 in his last seven games, and he is also on a four-game hitting streak.
Tampa Bay is right at .500 with a record of 47-47, and they trail the Orioles by 10 games for the AL East lead. So far, they have gone just 12-18 in AL East games. The Rays have won two straight games, and they are 5-5 over their last 10.
At home, the Rays are 26-26 this season and 21-21 on the road. As the underdog, the Rays are 20-22 this year and 27-25 when favored. Tampa Bay has won two straight games as the underdog, and they are 8-9 as the home underdog this season.
When it comes to the run line, the Rays have been a better bet on the road this season, going 25-17 compared to 19-33 at home. Their average run margin is -0.7 runs per game, and their run line record is 44-50. They have covered the run line in two straight games and are 2-0 as an underdog in their last two games.
The Tampa Bay Rays are playing at home today against the Cleveland Guardians. The over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs, which is lower than their combined run average of 8.6 runs per game this season. The Rays have played 62 games with over/under lines higher than 7.5 runs, and their over/under record for the season is 45-44. When the line is set at 7.5 runs, their over/under record is 16-11.
Zack Littell gets the start for the Rays today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Rangers. In that start, which came on July 7th, he gave up 7 earned runs in 4 innings of work, taking the loss. Before that outing, he had pitched well, picking up the win vs. the Royals on July 2nd with a 5-inning scoreless outing. Littell’s ERA for the season is 4.44, along with a record of 3-6. Opponents are batting .290 vs. Littell this season. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.59 strikeouts and just 1.6 walks.
Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat for the Rays of late, going 11/24 in his last six games with five RBIs. This has helped him move into the team’s 2nd RBI spot for the season. Diaz is also on a six-game hitting streak. Isaac Paredes has struggled of late, going just 1/17 in his last six games, but he does lead the Rays with 50 RBIs and 15 homers.
As a team, the Rays are batting just .236, which is 13th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and runs per game. So far, they are averaging just 4 runs per game and are even worse at home, where they are averaging only 3.8 runs per contest.
Our prediction for this Guardians vs. Rays matchup is to take the Guardians on the money line, with the payout being -113. We have the Guardians winning this one by a final score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Gavin Williams finishing with seven strikeouts, which would have him as the eighth best among starters today. As for Zack Littell, he is projected to finish with five K’s, which would have him as the seventh worst.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Tips
- We like the Guardians on the moneyline (-113)
- The Guardians are also our pick on the spread at -1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Wander Franco | Out | Personal |
| Drew Rasmussen | Out | Arm |
| Richard Lovelady | Out | Forearm |
| Jeffrey Springs | Out | Elbow |
| Shane McClanahan | Out | Elbow |
| Jacob Waguespack | Out | Shoulder |
Cleveland Guardians Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Boyd | Out | Elbow |
| Sam Hentges | Out | Shoulder |
| Shane Bieber | Out | Elbow |
| Trevor Stephan | Out | Elbow |
| James Karinchak | Out | Shoulder |
