The Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians will continue their best-of-3 series on Saturday, with both looking to gain the advantage. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Guardians Game 2 prediction and pick.
The Rays and the Guardians look to win this series on Saturday. Specifically, winning this series on Saturday means more preparation time for the New York Yankees. The Rays went 8-11 against the Yankees this year, while the Guardians went 1-5. However, both teams have to win their respective series to get there, and Saturday is the first chance to do it.
The Rays went 86-76 during the season but went on a 2-8 slump to end the season. Meanwhile, the Guardians won the AL Central and went 7-3 over their final 10 games.
Tyler Glasnow will take the mound for the Rays in Game 2. He recently returned from a year-long absence after Tommy John Surgery. Now, he looks to pick up where he left off. Glasnow is 0-0 with a 1.35 ERA in limited appearances this season. Alternatively, he has playoff experience, and it is not great. Glasnow is 2-5 with a 6.56 ERA over eight playoff appearances. Additionally, he is 0-2 with a 2.12 ERA in three career starts against the Guardians.
Triston McKenzie is 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA over 31 starts this season. Subsequently, he faced the Rays once, going six innings and allowing one earned run on three hits with six strikeouts. McKenzie is 0-0 with a 10.80 ERA in 1 1/3 innings of playoff experience. Also, the one hit he allowed turned into a two-run home run.
Here are the Rays-Guardians MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
AL Wild Card Odds: Rays-Guardians Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+190)
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-235)
Over: 5.5 (-120)
Under: 5.5 (-102)
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
The Rays are a tricky team to figure out. They were the seventh-best team in defensive efficiency and sixth in defensive runs allowed. Additionally, their pitching remains strong, with the fourth-best ERA in baseball. But the thing that keeps Tampa down is their offense. What they struggle with goes down to everything involved with hitting. The Rays rank 17th in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, 21st in runs, 25th in home runs, and 24th in slugging percentage.
Randy Arozarena is their best bat. Likewise, he is batting .263 with 20 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 72 runs. Arozarena continues to be the one bat in the order that can swing consistently. However, he struggled against the Guardians this year. Arozarena hit .043 (1 for 23) in six games against the Guardians. Ultimately, he has playoff experience, and it is all good. Arozarena is hitting .354 (34 for 96) with 11 home runs, 17 RBIs, and 23 runs. Likewise, many baseball fans remember his unbelievable run in 2020, as he hit .377 (29 and 77) for 10 home runs and 14 RBIs while leading the Rays to the World Series. Arozarena has carried the Rays on his back before. Can he do it again?
The Rays will cover the spread if they can continue to pitch and defend efficiently. However, they must score runs, and Arozarena must be the catalyst for getting them there.
Why The Guardians Could Cover The Spread
The Guardians are the AL Central champion no one saw. Moreover, most thought the Chicago White Sox would win the division. The Minnesota Twins led the division for most of the season while the Guardians toiled in mediocrity. Ultimately, the Guardians found their path and got hot. It helped them secure an AL Central crown and another postseason opportunity. Here are the players that helped them get here.
Jose Ramirez remains the best player in the lineup. Subsequently, he finished with a batting average of .280 while clubbing 29 home runs, 126 RBIs, and scoring 90 runs. Ramirez hit .296 (8 for 27) with one home run, six RBIs, and three runs through six games against the Rays. However, he has struggled in the playoffs. Ramirez has a career mark of .213 (20 for 94) with just one home run, eight RBIs, and nine runs over 25 games of postseason experience. However, he has assistance in this year's playoffs. These players all had high marks.
Steven Kwon led the team in batting average, finishing with a mark of .298. Meanwhile, Myles Straw was elite on the basepaths, stealing 21 bases. Josh Naylor remains a threat in the lineup and can win a game anytime. Thus, these three will be vital to helping Ramirez in the lineup.
The Guardians will cover the spread if McKenzie can toss a good game. Likewise, they need solid production from this lineup to generate a victory and a possible trip to Yankee Stadium.
Final Rays-Guardians Prediction & Pick
The Rays match up well with the Guardians. Ultimately, it will help them steal a game and a possible trip to the Bronx for a showdown with the Yankees.
Final Rays-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+190)
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