The Cleveland Guardians will begin a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday at Tropicana Field. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make a Guardians-Rays prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
Guardians-Rays Projected Starters
Carlos Carrasco vs. Taj Bradley
Carlos Carrasco (3-6) with a 5.22 ERA
Last Start: Carrasco labored in his last outing, going five innings, allowing three earned runs, six hits, striking out four, and walking one in a no-decision against the San Francisco Giants.
2024 Road Splits: Carrasco has done slightly better on the road, going 2-3 with a 4.81 ERA over nine starts away from Progressive Field.
Taj Bradley (3-4) with a 3.23 ERA
Last Start: Bradley did well in his last outing, going six innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits, with five strikeouts and two walks in a no-decision against the Texas Rangers.
2024 Home Splits: Bradley has been elite at home, going 2-3 with a 1.76 ERA over seven starts at Progressive Field.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Guardians-Rays Odds
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-178)
Moneyline: +118
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+146)
Moneyline: -138
Over: 8 (-114)
Under: 8 (-106)
How to Watch Guardians vs. Rays
Time: 6:50 PM ET/3:50 PM PT
TV: APPLE TV
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Guardians are leading the American League Central, coming out of the woodwork to produce an excellent season. Ultimately, barring a collapse, they are on their way to a playoff appearance if they can continue playing well. It all starts with their offense.
The Guardians are 13th in batting average, 10th in on-base percentage, and eighth in runs. Furthermore, they are ninth in home runs and slugging percentage. They have four players who can batter the baseball.
Jose Ramirez is exceptional, and continues to produce amazing feats. However, he has had some issues against the Rays, batting .252 with 40 hits, six home runs, 23 RBIs, and 21 runs over 42 games. Ramirez has struggled over the past six games, hitting .148 with four hits, one home run, two RBIs, and two runs over six games.
Josh Naylor has not done well, either, batting .105 with two hits and one RBI over six games. Conversely, Andres Gimenez has done well against Tampa Bay, hitting .311 with 14 hits, three home runs, nine RBIs, and eight runs over 13 games. Steven Kwan has also done well against the Rays, batting .375 with 21 hits, six RBIs, and nine runs over 12 games.
Carrasco has had two quality starts in his last four outings. Now, he hopes to dominate the Rays before turning it over to the best bullpen in baseball. If they can do well, they will turn it over to Emmanuel Chase, who is second in baseball with 28 saves and also has a ridiculous 0.83 ERA.
The Guardians will cover the spread if their hitters can produce big innings. Then, they need Carrasco to avoid bad innings and find the strike zone before turning it over to the bullpen.
Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Rays are having a bad season and are unlikely to make the playoffs. Sadly, it's been a year filled with challenges with a lackluster offense and not much pitching.
The Rays are just 21st in batting average, 15th in on-base percentage, and 27th in home runs. Moreover, they are also 26th in runs and slugging percentage. Their players have not done a good job of clubbing the baseball.
Yandy Diaz has done relatively well against the Guardians in his career, batting .283 with 17 hits, four home runs, 12 RBIs, and 11 runs over 15 games. Meanwhile, Isaac Paredes has struggled against the Guardians, hitting just .219 with 14 hits, two home runs, seven RBIs, and six runs over 17 games. Randy Arozarena is having a bad season. Furthermore, he has struggled against the Guardians, batting just .174 with 12 hits, five RBIs, and nine runs over 17 games.
Bradley has produced three quality starts in his last five outings. Unfortunately, he is part of a pitching staff that has just not gotten the job done. The bullpen is also atrocious, ranking 25th in baseball in team ERA.
The Rays will cover the spread if they can string together some hits and make Carrasco work. Then, they need to avoid making mistakes against Ramirez.
Final Guardians-Rays Prediction & Pick
The Guardians and Rays meet for the first time this season. Last season, they split the six games down the middle, with the home team winning two of three. The Guardians covered the spread in all three games in Tampa. Curiously, the Guardians are the second-best team in the majors at covering the spread. But Bradley has been amazing at home but with no run support. Subsequently, we could see a scenario where that plays out again, with the Guardians likely winning 3-2, which means the Guardians cover the spread.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Guardians-Rays Prediction & Pick: Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-178)
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