Cleveland and Tampa Bay are set to square off in an AL matchup at 1:40 PM ET from Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. Cleveland is currently 85-64 and they are 1st in the AL Central, while the Rays are 73-76 and they are 4th in the AL East.
The over/under line for Sunday's game is at 8 runs, and the Guardians are favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -134 compared to the Rays at +114. Ben Lively gets the start for Cleveland, and the Rays are starting Taj Bradley. BSSUN is carrying the game on TV.
Tampa Bay vs. Cleveland Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Rays at Guardians
- Where: Progressive Field Cleveland
- Date: Sunday, September 15th
- Betting Odds CLE -134 | TB +114 O/U 8
Rays vs Guardians Last Game Recap
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.
The pitching matchup for this game featured Joey Cantillo for the Guardians, and he went just five innings but didn't give up a run and picked up the win. Drew Rasmussen only went two innings for the Rays, giving up no runs 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.
Rays Preview
Currently, the Rays are 4th in the AL East with a 73-76 record, trailing the Red Sox by two games for the 3rd spot. In the AL East, they are 13 games behind the Yankees. Tampa Bay has a series record of 22-19-6, with a 37-38 home record and 36-38 on the road.
On the run line, the Rays are 77-72 this season, with a -0.4 run margin per game. Their run line record as underdogs is 53-31, and on the road, it's 43-31. The over/under record for Rays games this season is 65-76, and their games have averaged 8.1 runs. Going into today's game, the under has hit in four straight games for the Rays.
Taj Bradley gets the start for the Rays today as he faces the Guardians on the road. He has made 22 starts this year 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. So far, he has allowed 22 homers and is averaging 10.05 strikeouts per nine innings.
Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat for the Rays of late, going 10/21 in his last six games. This has helped him move into the team lead with a batting average of .283 for the season. Diaz also has 14 homers, which is 4th in the Rays lineup. Brandon Lowe is 2nd on the team with 18 homers but has just a .241 batting average and has gone 4/18 in his last six games.
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 most offensive categories, including home runs, batting average, and on-base percentage. Tampa Bay does have a collective batting average of .231 and a team on-base percentage of .305.
Guardians Preview
Heading into today's game, the Guardians have a 85-64 overall record and are 1st in the AL Central, holding a three-game lead over the Royals. They have gone 27-21 in divisional matchups this season. Cleveland has a 27-15-5 series record and are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Against the run line, the Guardians are 75-74 this season, with an average run margin of 0.5 runs per game. Their games have averaged 8.4 runs, and the over has hit in 69 games, accounting for 46.3% of their matchups. For games with an 8-run total, their O/U record is 13-16-6.
Ben Lively gets the start for the Guardians today and comes into the game with a record of 11-9 and ERA of 4.01. So far this season, he has made 26 starts, and opponents are batting .236 off the right-hander. Lively's WHIP for the season is 1.24. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going just two innings and not giving up a run. Before that, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight starts. Lively has made nine quality starts this year and is averaging 7.23 strikeouts per nine innings.
Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have been the Guardians' top power threats this season, as Ramirez's 35 homers are 7th in the league, and Naylor's 29 is 12th. Ramirez's 107 RBIs are also the 2nd most in the league, while Naylor is 5th in the MLB with 103 RBIs. Over his last five games, Lane Thomas is hitting .400 with two homers and nine RBIs.
Overall, the Guardians are averaging 4.5 runs per game, and they have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .238 (15th) and have the league's worst BABIP. Collectively, they are one of the league's best teams at avoiding strikeouts.
Rays vs. Guardians Prediction: Guardians ML -134
Our pick for this Rays vs. Guardians matchup 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. Given that the payout for a Guardians win is -134, we see this as a much better payout than taking the over, as the line is set at 8 runs.
Looking at today's starters, we have Ben Lively finishing with four strikeouts, and he is projected to finish with a line of 6.0 innings pitched, which is the sixth best among today's starters. For the Rays, our projections have Taj Bradley finishing with six strikeouts and going 5.2 innings.
