Going into game three of this American League showdown, the Rays (71-48, 40-21 home) are giving the start to Zach Eflin. On the other side, the Guardians (56-62, 25-34 away) are rolling with Tanner Bibee. Don’t miss my prediction for today’s Cleveland Guardians versus Tampa Bay Rays game in St. Petersburg.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cleveland Guardians +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Tropicana Field at 1:40 ET on Sunday, August 13th.

WHY BET THE CLEVELAND GUARDIANS:

  • The Rays have struggled against the runline when favored of late, failing to cover in four straight times.
  • On the road, the Guardians have covered the runline in three straight games.
  • For the season, the Guardians have gone 10-8 with Tanner Bibee on the mound as the starter.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS LOOKING FOR UPSET AS ROAD UNDERDOGS

Leading up to today’s game, the Guardians are 2nd in the AL Central on a record of 56-62. Overall, they have played in 37 different series, going 16-18-3. When playing above .500 teams, the Guardians are 56-62, and currently hold win percentages of 52.5% at home and 42.4% on the road.

Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee has had a successful season so far, boasting an 8-2 record and a 2.92 ERA. His ERA is notably higher when pitching away from home, at 4.59, but he has been dominant when pitching at Progressive Field with a 2.13 ERA. Bibee’s WHIP sits at 1.22 and opposing teams have only managed to hit .224 against him with a slugging percentage of .338.

Tanner Bibee earned a quality start and the win in his last outing, as the Guardians shut out the Blue Jays 1-0. The right-hander allowed no runs and six hits over seven frames.

So far this season, the Guardians’ has gone deep 85 times, placing them 24th in the league. Over Cleveland’s previous five games, they are 19th in runs scored, with their season average of 4 runs per game putting them 26th in the league. The Guardians’ overall team batting average stands at .249 along with an OBP of .312.

Andrés Giménez has been on a tear for the Guardians over their last five games, leading the team in hits and batting .297. The shortstop has put together an impressive season overall, with a .240 average and 43 RBIs.

WILL THE TAMPA BAY RAYS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Winners of two straight games, the Rays are in 2nd place in the AL East. So far, they have a series win percentage of 62% (20-12-5). Tampa Bay has gone 31-27 on the road this season compared to 40-21 at home.

Tampa Bay’s Zach Eflin has had a successful season thus far, boasting an overall record of 12-6 and an ERA of 3.34. When pitching at home, Eflin has been particularly impressive with an ERA of 2.80, while his road ERA is 5.38. His WHIP for the season stands at .97 and opposing teams have only managed to compile a slugging percentage of .361 against him, with a batting average allowed of .222.

Zach Eflin was unable to secure a victory in his most recent start, despite completing a quality start. In the Rays’ 4-2 triumph over St. Louis, he hurled seven frames and yielded one earned run.

Across their last five games, the Rays’ offense is 5th in batting average, leading to an average of 5 runs per contest in that span. Overall, they are the 4th ranked scoring offense and posted a season-long OPS of .772 on 173 (4th). On average, they have struckout 8 times per game compard to 3.2 walks.

The Rays’ Yandy Díaz stands atop the team’s leaderboard in hits, boasting a .323 batting average. His slugging percentage is .513 and on-base percentage is .402 heading into the game.