The Cleveland Guardians (57-36) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (47-47) on Saturday, July 13th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg 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 3:10 CT.
Guardians vs. Rays Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Guardians (-113)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 7.5 Runs
- The Guardians have scored 5 or more runs in 7 of their last 15 games.
- The Guardians have won 3 out of their last 5 road games.
- The Guardians have a higher league rank (3rd) compared to the Rays (9th).
- The Guardians have a better record against teams with a .500 or worse record, with a 57-36 overall record compared to the Rays’ 47-47.
- The Guardians have a 4-2 record in their last 6 games against AL East opponents.
Guardians vs Rays
Tampa Bay picked up a 2-0 win over the Guardians in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had just two more hits than the Guardians and struck out eight times, but still picked up a win. Heading into the game, they were favored at -138 on the money line.
This game featured a starting pitching matchup between Carlos Carrasco for the Guardians and Taj Bradley for the Rays. Carrasco went just five innings and gave up one hit and one earned run. Bradley put together a good outing, going seven innings and striking out eight without giving up a run.
Yandy Diaz and Alex Jackson each had two hits and an RBI for the Rays’ offense. Josh Lowe also had a two-hit game and scored a run. For the Guardians, Daniel Schneemann went 2/3 with a double.
Cleveland is leading the AL Central by 4.5 games over the Twins with a 57-36 record. They have lost three straight games after winning four in a row. The Guardians’ series record this season is 20-8-2.
As underdogs, the Guardians are 20-12 vs. the run line on the road, and their games have averaged 8.8 runs. The O/U record for their games is 47-40, with an average O/U line of 8 runs. Today’s O/U line of 7.5 runs is lower than usual, as 67.7% of their games have had higher O/U lines.
Gavin Williams Gets The Start For The Guardians
Gavin Williams is on the mound for the Guardians as they take on the Rays. Williams is making his 3rd start of the season and is coming off a no-decision vs. the Tigers. In that outing, he went 5 1/3 innings and struck out 5, giving up 1 home run.
Guardians Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Guardians are 8th in the league in scoring at 4.8 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .244, which is the 9th best mark in the league. Cleveland’s offense is also one of the best in the league at avoiding strikeouts, as they are 3rd in the MLB in this category.
Jose Ramirez comes into the game with a team-high 23 home runs and 77 RBIs, which is the 2nd best mark in the league. He is batting .272 for the season. Steven Kwan has been red hot of late, going 9/28 in his last seven games. This has helped him take over the team’s top batting average spot at .359. Kwan also has nine homers this season.
At home, the Rays have a run line record of 19-33, but on the road, they are 25-17. Tampa Bay’s overall record is 47-47, and they are 5-5 in their last 10 games. They trail the Orioles by 10 games in the AL East.
For the season, the over/under record for Rays games is 45-44, and their games have averaged 8.6 runs. When the O/U line has been 7.5 runs, their record is 16-11.
Zack Littell Gets The Start For The Rays
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 seven earned runs in four innings of work. Littell took the loss in that outing. Before that, he had pitched well, picking up the win vs. the Royals on July 2nd with a five-inning scoreless outing. Littell has made 18 starts this year and has a record of 3-6 with an ERA of 4.44. Opposing batters are hitting .290 off the right-hander this season.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Rays, going 11/24 in his last six games with a home run and five RBIs. This has helped him move his season batting average up to .276, which is 3rd best on the team. Isaac Paredes has struggled of late, going just 1/17 in his last six games. However, he is still the team’s leader in RBIs (50) and has 15 homers this season.
As a team, the Rays are just 26th in the league in runs scored, averaging 4 runs per game. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.8 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .236, which is 13th in the league.
Guardians vs Rays Prediction
Our prediction for this Guardians vs. Rays matchup is for the Guardians to pick up the win on the road by a final score of 5-4. Given that the Guardians are -113 on the money line, this is the bet we would recommend making.
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 among starters.
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:July 13, 2024 Guardians, Rays