The Guardians (65-70, 34-33 home) host the Rays (82-53, 37-30 away) in game two of this American League series. Getting the start for the Guardians is Logan Allen while the Rays are turning to Zack Littell. Read on to get my best bet for this Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays matchup.

TAMPA BAY RAYS VS CLEVELAND GUARDIANS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -118

This game will be played at Progressive Field at 6:10 ET on Saturday, September 2nd.

WHY BET THE TAMPA BAY RAYS:

  • The Rays have put together a 4-1 record in their last five games as the favorite.
  • As the road underdog, the Rays’ win streak currently stands at three games.
  • In Zack Littell’s two most recent starts, the Rays are 2-0.

TAMPA BAY RAYS LOOK TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS ON THE ROAD

Overall, the Rays have a record of 82-53 which has them 2nd in the AL East. Tampa Bay has rattled off six straight series victories and have an overall series record of 26-12-6. This season, Tampa Bay is 45-23 at home and 37-30 on the road.

Tampa Bay’s Zack Littell is 3-4 on the season with an ERA of 4.45. His road ERA stands at 3.98, while his home ERA is a stellar 1.16. The righty has a WHIP of 1.21 and has allowed opposing batters to hit .266 against him with a slugging percentage of .451.

Zack Littell earned a victory in his last outing, despite allowing four runs and four hits to the Yankees. The Rays ultimately emerged victorious with a 7-4 scoreline.

Offensively, Tampa Bay is ranked 4th in the league with an average of 5.3 runs per game. When looking over their last ten matchups, the Rays averaged 5.2 runs per contest, which is 1st best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Tampa Bay is 4th in all of baseball, with a total of 194 home runs.

Over the Rays’ past five contests, Josh Lowe has been at the top of the team in hits, boasting a .533 average. This season, Lowe has hit .284 and has driven in 71 runs.

WILL THE CLEVELAND GUARDIANS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Guardians will be looking for their 4th straight win in today’s game and have an overall record of 65-70. At home, Cleveland has put together a record of 34-33 while going 31-37 on the road. Currently, they are in 2nd place in the AL Central.

Cleveland starter Logan Allen will look to improve his performance in today’s game, having surrendered a home-run in each of his last two appearances. Thus far in the 2023 season, Allen has posted a 6-7 record and 3.61 ERA, striking out 102 batters (8.55 K/9) while averaging 3.44 walks per 9 innings.

Logan Allen’s most recent start ended in a loss for the Guardians, as he gave up five runs on six hits over four innings against the Blue Jays. The final score was 8-3 in favor of Toronto.

During their last ten games, Cleveland is the 16th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .238 and are averaging 4.8 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Guardians are hitting .248 with an OBP of .310 while averaging 4.1 runs per contest. This figure puts them 26th in the league.

Ramón Laureano is bringing a .218 batting average and .367 slugging percentage into the contest for Cleveland. Over the last ten games, he has been the team’s leader in hits, batting .272 during that span.