Cleveland Guardians at Tampa Bay Rays Betting Preview/Prop Picks

Image From: Associated Press

Two teams that are fighting for their positions in the AL face off tonight. The Cleveland Guardians, with a record of 50-48, rank second in the AL Central. Unfortunately for them, the Chicago Cubs are right behind them. In order to create a little space, they’ll need to win a few games, starting with this one. They’ll send out SP Shane Bieber to get the job done.

Bieber could run into some trouble against the batters of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are 53-46 this season with a 31-18 record at home. They’ve been in a bit of a rough patch lately, losing five of their last six games. Although they’ve suffered a few losses, don’t count the Tampa Bay Rays out of this one. They have a few players that can win the game for them today.

Cleveland Guardians: Bieber gets the nod for tonight’s game

Pitching is arguably the main focal point of today’s game. With Bieber on the mound for the Guardians, they’ll be starting a 4-6 pitcher. He has an ERA of 3.55 over the span of 111.2 innings. Through this time, he’s thrown 110 strikeouts while allowing just 10 home runs. The question is whether Bieber’s ability can secure a win on the road for the Guardians.

At the plate is where the Guardians feel most comfortable. As a team they have a batting average of .252, ranking eighth in Major League Baseball. Going against the defense of the Rays won’t be easy, they’ll need to be at their best. Cleveland has the edge over the Rays when it comes to batting. The problem is that the Rays haven’t lost very many games at home.

Tampa Bay Rays: Returning home after a long road stretch

We believe that part of the reason for the Rays troubles is that they were on the road. A long road stretch can turn a great team into a struggling one. The Rays spent seven games on the road before returning home for this one. In order to not fall behind in the AL East, the Rays will need to get back to winning. At the moment the Baltimore Orioles are catching up to them.

Getting the nod to start the game tonight is Jeffrey Springs, who has a 3-2 record. Springs has a 2.50 ERA this season giving the Rays the advantage on the mound. At the plate, Tampa hasn’t done so well this season, batting .240. They rank 17th in the league in this regard and have the No.22 on-base percentage at .307. Will this be enough for a win over the Guardians tonight?

Cleveland Guardians at Tampa Bay Rays Betting Pick

The Guardians are a great team, however, they’re in the same rough patch as the Rays. Over their last six games, the Guardians have lost four of them. The Rays have had their troubles as well but we think Tampa Bay at home will pull this off.

There are two things that play a big factor in this game. One is the fact that the Rays have better pitching, the other is that they’re playing at home. With the Rays at home, they should be able to take down the Guardians and win this game at -113. The total has gone over in seven of Cleveland’s last 10 games, so we’ll take the over too.

DUNKEL INDEX Free Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -113, OVER

Prop Picks

Tampa Bay (+105) OVER 3.5 Runs

Tampa Bay is averaging 4.14 runs per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 22 in the league. Cleveland is allowing 4.28 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 16 in the league. That average increases to 4.41 runs per 9 innings on the road.  Scores have gone OVER in seven of Tampa Bay’s last 10 games overall.

With Dunkel predicting a Tampa Bay home victory by the score of 5-4, take the Rays (+105) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 3.5 runs against the Guardians.

Jose Ramirez (-105) OVER 0.5 Runs Scored

Ramirez has scored 56 runs in 94 games played this season, which ranks No. 1 on the Guardians. The third baseman has scored 36 runs in 199 ABs with an OBS of .976 on the road compared to 20 runs in 159 ABs and a .863 OBS at home.

With Dunkel predicting the final score going OVER the Vegas total, take Ramirez (-105) to finish OVER 0.5 runs scored versus the Rays.

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