The Tampa Bay Rays (73-76) travel to face off against the Cleveland Guardians (85-64) on Sunday, September 15th. This game will be played at Progressive Field in Cleveland and televised on BSSUN. The Guardians are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Guardians. First pitch is set for 12:40 CT.
Rays vs. Guardians Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Guardians (-134)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Guardians have won 4 of their last 5 home games, showing strong recent performance at home.
- In their last 15 games, the Guardians have scored 6 or more runs in 6 games, indicating a potent offense.
- The Guardians have a 3-1 record against the Rays in their last 4 head-to-head matchups.
- The Guardians have outscored their opponents by 24 runs in their last 15 games, demonstrating effective run production.
- The Guardians have a 5-2 record in their last 7 games, indicating a positive recent trend in performance.
Rays vs Guardians
Cleveland cruised to an easy 6-1 win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians had a huge 6th inning, scoring three of their six runs. As for the Rays, they scored their only run in the 8th. Heading into the game, the Guardians were favored at -141.
The pitching matchup for this game featured Drew Rasmussen for the Rays, and he went just two innings while giving up one hit and no earned runs. Tyler Alexander took the loss. Joey Cantillo put together a good outing for the Guardians, getting the win after going five innings and giving up three hits and no earned runs.
Cleveland’s offense was led by Lane Thomas, Jose Ramirez, and Josh Naylor, as they were the only three Guardians hitters to have more than one hit. Thomas and Ramirez each homered in the game.
As underdogs, the Rays have a 38-46 record this season, but as favorites, they are 35-30. Their overall run line record is 77-72, with an average run margin of -0.4 runs per game. On the road, they have a 43-31 run line record. Tampa Bay is 73-76 overall and have lost six of their last ten games.
The over/under record for Rays games this season is 65-76, and their games have averaged 8.1 runs. The under has hit in four straight games for the Rays, and when the total is 8 runs, their O/U record is 16-21-1.
Taj Bradley Gets The Start 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. Looking back, he has allowed at least four earned runs in three straight starts. Bradley’s ERA for the season is 5.85 on the road compared to 5.59 at home.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/21 in his last six games, and is currently on a six-game hitting streak. For the season, he is batting .283 and leads the Rays with 65 RBIs. Christopher Morel has the most homers for the Rays this season but is batting just .198. Morel’s 57 RBIs are the 2nd most on the team.
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 home runs and team batting average. Tampa Bay’s leading home run hitter, Brandon Lowe, has gone just 4/18 in his last six games and is batting .241 for the season.
As favorites, the Guardians have a 60-32 record this season and are 39-20 at home. Overall, they are 85-64, leading the AL Central by three games over the Royals. In the run line, they are 75-74, with an average run margin of 0.5 runs per game.
This season, Cleveland games have averaged 8.4 runs, and their over/under record is 66-72. The under has hit in their last three games, and the over has hit in 69 games, accounting for 46.3% of their total games.
Ben Lively Gets The Start For The Guardians
Ben Lively gets the start for the Guardians today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he finished with a no-decision. Against the White Sox, he went 2 innings, didn’t give up a run, and only allowed 1 hit. Lively has made 26 starts this year and has a record of 11-9 with a 4.01 ERA. Looking back over his last four outings, he has finished with a no-decision in three of them. Lively’s ERA at home is 4.29, and he has a record of 7-2 at home compared to 4-7 on the road.
Guardians Offense Breakdown
Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have been a productive 1-2 punch in the Cleveland lineup this season, as they are the top two home run hitters in the league and are also 1st and 2nd in RBIs for the Guardians. Ramirez is also on a seven-game hitting streak coming into today’s game. Overall, the Guardians are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 14th in the league.
Lane Thomas has been swinging a hot bat for the Guardians, going 8/20 in his last five games with two homers and nine RBIs. For the season, he is batting .270. As a team, the Guardians are 15th in batting average and have the league’s 12th ranked home run total.
Rays vs Guardians Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Rays vs. Guardians game is to take the Guardians on the money line at -134. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Guardians, giving us some room to take them on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Ben Lively finishing with four strikeouts. If you’re looking for a starting pitcher to target in terms of strikeouts, there are better options than Lively. As for Taj Bradley, we have him finishing with six strikeouts, which is middle of the pack among starting pitchers.
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 15, 2024 Guardians, Rays