The Tampa Bay Rays (72-75) travel to face off against the Cleveland Guardians (84-63) on Friday, September 13th. This game will be played at Progressive Field in Cleveland and televised on BSSUN. The Rays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Guardians are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rays. First pitch is set for 6:10 CT.
Rays vs. Guardians Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Guardians (-176)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 7.5 Runs
- The Guardians have won 9 out of their last 15 games.
- The Guardians have scored 5 or more runs in 8 of their last 15 games.
- The Guardians have a home record of 43-26, which is the best in their division.
- The Guardians have won 4 out of their last 5 home games.
- The Guardians have a better overall record (84-63) compared to the Rays (72-75).
Rays vs Guardians
Tampa Bay picked up a 5-2 road win over the Guardians in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had a huge 4th inning, scoring two of their five runs and picking up three of their six hits. As for the Guardians, they scored their only two runs in the 5th and finished with just five hits.
Ryan Pepiot only went two innings for the Rays but gave up just two hits and two earned runs. Cole Sulser got the win out of the bullpen, and Richard Lovelady got the save. Gavin Williams struggled on the mound for the Guardians, giving up three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Brandon Lowe and José Caballero each homered for the Rays, while Yandy Díaz scored twice and drove in a run while going 2/3. For the Guardians, Franmil Reyes hit the game’s only other home run.
Heading into today’s game, the Rays have a 1-0 series lead against the Guardians and are 72-75 overall, putting them 4th in the AL East. They are 13 games behind the Yankees for the division lead. Tampa Bay’s overall series record this season is 22-19-6.
As underdogs, the Rays have a 37-45 run line record, while their straight-up record as underdogs is 35-30. The under has hit in their last two games, and their O/U record for games with a 7.5 run total is 23-26. The season average for Rays games is 8.1 runs per game.
Zack Littell Gets The Start For The Rays
Tampa Bay is starting right-hander Zack Littell today vs. the Guardians, and he comes into the game with a record of 6-9 and an ERA of 3.89. Littell’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.33. In his 26 starts, he has turned in eight quality starts and is averaging 7.92 strikeouts per nine innings. Littell most recently faced the Guardians on September 8th, where he picked up the win, going five innings and not allowing a run. Before that outing, he had given up at least one homer in three straight starts.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Rays, going 9/21 in his last six games. This stretch has pushed his season average to a team-best .284. He also leads the team with 65 RBIs and is on a five-game hitting streak. Brandon Lowe has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 3/10 in his last four games, with two homers and two runs scored.
Overall, the Rays are the worst scoring team in the league, averaging just 3.9 runs per game. They have also struggled in terms of home runs and have a team batting average of just .231. As a team, they are 23rd in home runs and 19th in batting average.
As the favorite, the Guardians have a 59-31 record straight up and 42-48 against the run line. Overall, their run line record is 74-73 with an average run margin of 0.5 runs per game. Their over/under record for games with totals higher than 7.5 runs is 66-70.
Cleveland, currently leading the AL Central by four games, will look to bounce back against the Rays after losing the first game of the series. Their overall series record this season is 27-15-5.
Tanner Bibee Gets The Start For The Guardians
Cleveland is sending right-hander Tanner Bibee to the mound today vs. the Rays. He has made 28 starts this season and has a record of 11-7 with a 3.56 ERA. Bibee’s WHIP for the season is 1.13, and he has turned in nine quality starts. In his last outing, Bibee took the loss, giving up two earned runs in five innings of work vs. the Dodgers. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Bibee has been much better on the road this year, coming in with a 7-4 record and 2.84 ERA compared to 4-3 with a 4.96 ERA at home.
Guardians Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Guardians are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .238, which is 16th in the league and have the league’s worst BABIP at .27.
José Ramírez and Josh Naylor have been the team’s top power threats this season, as they are 1st and 2nd on the team in home runs, respectively. Ramírez’s 106 RBIs are 2nd in the league, and he is also on a five-game hitting streak. Lane Thomas has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/21 in his last five games.
Rays vs Guardians Prediction
We are predicting that the Guardians will pick up a 5-4 win over the Rays. However, with the Guardians being -176 on the money line, we actually like the over in this one, as the line is sitting at 7.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Tanner Bibee finishing with six strikeouts, which is good for ninth among today’s starters. As for Zack Littell, he is projected to finish with just four strikeouts, which is third worst.
Offensively, the Guardians are projected to finish with 10 hits, compared to the Rays, who are projected to finish with eight. If you’re looking for a player prop bet, you could look at the over/under on Bibee’s strikeout total.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:September 13, 2024 Guardians, Rays