The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians will begin a three-game series with a Tuesday night matchup at Progressive Field in Cleveland. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Rays-Guardians prediction and pick, laid out below.

Cleveland has clinched the AL Central division, with an 86-67 record, something that seemed improbable at the beginning of the season. The youngest team in baseball will officially be a member of the playoffs, likely as the third seed.

Tampa Bay is in a fight for their playoff lives down the stretch, with an 84-69 record, third place in the AL East. Tampa Bay currently holds the second spot in the AL Wild Card, two and a half games behind Toronto at the top. The team has gotten contributions from unlikely sources to keep their season alive.

Here are the Rays-Guardians MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rays-Guardians Odds

Tampa Bay Rays: +1.5 (-176)

Cleveland Guardians: -1.5 (+146)

Over: 6.5 (-115)

Under: 6.5 (-105)

Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread

Tampa Bay will send Corey Kluber to the mound in this one, with a 10-9 record and 4.30 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 155 innings. Kluber is one of the better control artists in the league, walking just 2.9 percent of the batters he has faced this season, ranking in the 99th percentile. Kluber faced his former team once this season, allowing four runs in six innings. Last time out, Kluber was great, allowing one run in seven innings, and striking out two. Tampa Bay used their strong bullpen to appear in the World Series, and this year is no different. Tampa Bay's bullpen ranks seventh in the league with a 3.34 ERA, and leads the league with 650 bullpen innings. Pete Fairbanks has been phenomenal since returning from injury, posting a 1.23 ERA with 34 strikeouts and eight saves in 22 innings. Lefty Brooks Raley has pitched to a 2.75 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 52.1 innings. Jason Adam, who has been the de facto closer for most of the season, has a 1.47 ERA with eight saves and 73 strikeouts in 61.1 innings.

Randy Arozarena has been the best part of this Tampa Bay offense. The energetic outfielder leads the team with 20 home runs, 88 RBI, and 41 doubles, slashing .273/.335/.461 on the season. Isaac Paredes is tied for the team lead with 20 home runs, adding 16 doubles in 103 games. Yandy Diaz leads the team with a .292 batting average, adding nine home runs, 32 doubles, and more walks than strikeouts. Diaz is slashing .362/.451/.543 with three home runs and 16 walks in his last 30 games. Ji-Man Choi has belted ten home runs, all against right-handed pitchers. Tampa Bay is tied for fourth with 282 doubles.

Why The Guardians Could Cover The Spread

Cleveland will send their ace Shane Bieber to the mound in this one. Bieber has gone 12-8 with a 2.81 ERA and 189 strikeouts in 189 innings, walking just 4.7 percent of the batters he has faced, which ranks in the 93rd percentile. Batters are hitting just .195 against Bieber's breaking balls, which combats the diminished fastball velocity he has suffered this season. Of Bieber's 189 strikeouts, 137 of them have come against breaking balls. Cleveland's bullpen ranks fifth in the league with a 3.09 ERA, striking out 546 batters in 512.2 innings. James Karinchak has been great since returning from his injury, with a 1.53 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 35.1 innings. Nick Sandlin has pitched to a 2.20 ERA in 41 innings, holding batters to a .176 batting average. Trevor Stephan, a former Rule 5 pickup, has pitched to a 2.69 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. Closer Emmanuel Clase has pitched to a 1.46 ERA with 39 saves and 68 strikeouts in  67.2 innings.

Jose Ramirez has been the catalyst of the offense, leading the team with 28 home runs, 42 doubles, and 117 RBI. Ramirez is slashing .275/.353/.511, with an 11.9 percent strikeout rate that ranks in the 96th percentile in the league. Rookie Steven Kwan hit his first career grand slam on Sunday, bringing his season total to six home runs, with 22 doubles, 19 stolen bases, and a .298 batting average. Andres Gimenez leads the team with a .305 batting average, hitting 17 home runs and 26 doubles along with 19 stolen bases. Myles Straw is the third player with 19 stolen bases to lead the team, along with 22 doubles. Josh Naylor has enjoyed a career year, with 19 home runs and 26 doubles. Rookie Oscar Gonzalez has only played in 82 games but has belted 11 home runs and 25 doubles, with a .289/.321/.468 slash line. Amed Rosario leads the league with nine triples, adding 11 home runs, 26 doubles, and 17 stolen bases.

Final Rays-Guardians Prediction & Pick

Cleveland has the advantage with starting pitchers, but do not expect a ton of offense in this one.

Final Rays-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Cleveland -1.5 (+146), under 6.5 (-105)