The Cleveland Guardians host the Tampa Bay Rays in the Al Wild Card! It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Guardians prediction and pick.
The Rays end the regular reason as the final seed and will be thanking the playoff committee for allowing an extra team to join in on the fun. This isn't the same roster they had in 2020 when they played in the World Series. Although, they still contain some players from that team and certainly have the experience over the Guardians.
Cleveland is back in the playoffs and at no better time than during the inaugural season of the new nickname. This team set sail during the second half of the season and hasn't looked back since. They took the AL Central Division as it seemed that nobody else wanted it and will finish the season with a (92-70) record.
Here are the Rays-Guardians series MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
AL Wild Card Odds: Rays-Guardians Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: +102
Cleveland Guardians: -120
Why The Rays Will Win The Series
Shane McClanahan will start Game 1 for the Rays and Saturday could be a toss-up between Tyler Glasnow or Drew Rasmussen. McClanahan has been one of the top pitchers all season long and will be a CY Young candidate. In 166.1 innings, he finished with a 2.54 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 19 strikeouts, and walked only 38 batters all season long. Glasnow has just pitched six innings this season but only allowed three hits and a homer from Gabriel Arias. Rasmussen has been very good this year pitching a 2.84 ERA in 146 innings. He's been the second-best starter for the Rays this season and should pitch in this series.
The bullpen continues to be a dark horse for this team with a bunch of guys who can shut hitters down. Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Matt Wisler, and Brooks Raley have all done a solid job of keeping the lead late in games.
The lineup needs Randy Arozarena to play like he did during the 2020 postseason where he took the league by storm. Arozarena finished this season with great numbers and was the top hitter on this team. He ended with 20 homers, 89 RBIs, and an OPS of .771 after a really slow start to the season. Yandy Diaz, Harold Ramirez, Manuel Margot, Ji-Man Choi, and Wander Franco are going to need to have a huge series. The good news for this team is they have done a good job of making the best of every situation they have been put in. With Brandon Lowe, Shane Baz, and a few others banged up, they might still find a way to get it done.
Why The Guardians Will Win The Series
Cleveland has yet to announce their starting rotation for the series. Shane Bieber will likely be the Game 1 starter and Triston McKenzie should start Game 2. Those two have been the most consistent for the Guardians this season and Cal Quantrill is another name who should pitch in this series whether it's Game 3 as the starter or in the bullpen. Bieber finished (13-8) with a 2.88 ERA and 198 strikeouts this season. He's top 12 in both of those categories yet we didn't really hear his name much this season. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent pitchers over the last few seasons and should start Game 1 with a lot of confidence.
The bullpen has been great as of late also with the rise of Emmanuel Clase. Clase has a 1.36 ERA and 0.73 WHIP while leading the majors in saves with 42. He's arguably been the top reliever this entire season with 77 strikeouts in 72 innings. If the Guardians have a lead late in the game then the Rays will have a tough time climbing back.
The Guardians' lineup, similar to the Rays, finds a way to get the job done. They have been a top-5 offense during the course of the second half of the season which propelled them to take the division. Jose Ramirez is putting up MVP-type numbers with 29 homers and 124 RBIs. He's third in the majors in RBIs and 14th in IPS at .862. As a switch hitter, Remirez can attack any pitcher and will be a tough out all series long. If Adam Rosario, Steven Kwan, Andre Gimenez, and Josh Naylor hit well then the Guardians will win this series.
Final Rays-Guardians Prediction & Pick
I like Cleveland to advance to the ALDS. The Rays have the experience but the Guardians have been one of the best teams lately. They should stay hot and so taking the Guardians to win this series at home is the call.
Final Rays-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Cleveland Guardians (-120)
Follow Us
Subscribe