The Tampa Bay Rays host the Cleveland Guardians in a matinee tilt on Saturday. The matchup is the second game of a three-game weekend set at Tropicana Field. Both teams are in the mix for American league Wild Card slots in late July. Corey Kluber is scheduled to start for Tampa Bay, with Zach Plesac on the mound for Cleveland.
First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. ET in Tampa. Caesars Sportsbook lists Tampa Bay as a -125 favorite (risk $125 to win $100) on the money line, while the over-under, or total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, is 7.5 in the latest Guardians vs. Rays odds. Before locking in any Rays vs. Guardians picks, you need to see the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, and it is 284-243 on top-rated MLB money-line picks since the start of the 2021 season, returning over $400 for $100 players. This is the same model that pegged the 2021 Atlanta Braves at 10-1 as one of three best bets to win it all last season. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Rays vs. Guardians and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Guardians vs. Rays:
- Guardians vs. Rays money line: Rays -125, Guardians +105
- Guardians vs. Rays over-under: 7.5 runs
- Guardians vs. Rays run line: Rays -1.5 (+170)
- CLE: The Guardians are 24-23 in day games
- TB: The Rays are 21-18 in day games
- Guardians vs. Rays picks: See picks at SportsLine
Featured Game | Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians
Why you should back the Guardians
Cleveland has the more productive overall offense in this matchup. The Guardians lead the American League in strikeout avoidance, and Cleveland is in the top five of the AL in hits, doubles, triples, batting average and stolen bases. Jose Ramirez is in the center of the attack, and the four-time All-Star leads the AL in doubles with a slugging percentage north of .500 this season. In contrast, the Rays are in the bottom five of the AL in strikeout avoidance, slugging percentage and OPS, leaving Cleveland’s pitching staff in a confident position.
Plesac will start for the Guardians, and the 27-year-old is issuing only 2.4 walks per nine innings. Plesac has a 3.07 ERA in his last ten starts, and he is highly effective. Behind him, Cleveland’s bullpen is above-average in ERA with more than a strikeout per inning. Guardians relievers are also No. 3 in the AL in ground ball rate at 46 percent.
Why you should back the Rays
Tampa Bay has strong offensive indicators, but the Rays can also be confident with pitching in Saturday’s matchup. The headliner of the afternoon is Kluber, who is a two-time Cy Young winner. Kluber has a 3.91 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP this season, with excellent command. Opponents are generating only 1.5 walks per nine innings against Kluber, and he is yielding less than a home run per nine innings.
Kluber is holding the opposition to a .692 OPS in 2022, and he has been even better in home starts with a 3.42 ERA at Tropicana Field. Kluber then hands the ball to a potent bullpen, with Tampa Bay leading the American League in walk rate among relief corps with less than three free passes per nine innings. The Rays are also above-average in bullpen ERA over a large sample of innings.
How to make Rays vs. Guardians picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the total, projecting 8.3 combined runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the MLB model’s picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Guardians vs. Rays? And which side has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of Guardians vs. Rays you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its MLB picks, and find out.
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