Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/12/2024

Game Time: 6:50 pm ET, Friday, July 12, 2024

Venue:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL 

Where to Watch:  Apple TV+

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Guardians +114, Rays -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Guardians +115, Rays -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Guardians +115, Rays -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Cleveland Guardians:  57-34 (1st place, AL Central)

Tampa Bay Rays:  45-47 (4th place, AL East)

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Cleveland Guardians:  5-5 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  4-6 last 10

The Guardians won their 3-game series against the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 57-34 record overall and have a road record of 27-23. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Rays on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Detroit Tigers still to be played on Thursday. The Guardians lost the 1st game of that series on Monday, won the 2nd game on Tuesday, and lost the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 12th in the MLB with a .730 OPS. Spencer Howard is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Carlos Carrasco is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 3-6 with a 5.22 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 4 Ks on 6 hits through 5 IP against the San Francisco Giants.

The Rays got swept in their 3-game series against the Texas Rangers 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 45-47 record overall and have a home record of 24-26. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Guardians on Friday with the series finale of their series against the New York Yankees still to be played on Thursday. The Rays won the 1st game of that series on Tuesday and lost the 2nd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 23rd in the MLB with a .679 OPS. Shane Baz is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Taj Bradley is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 3-4 with a 3.23 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 2 BB with 5 strikeouts on 5 hits through 6 innings played against the Texas Rangers.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays haven't looked good in their games this season with their 45-47 record overall which has them near the bottom of the AL East. They haven't looked good in their own ballpark either, going 24-26 in their home games this year. Meanwhile, the Guardians have looked great in their games this season with their 57-34 record overall which has them leading the AL Central with one of the best records in the entire MLB. They are also 27-23 in their road games this year. As good as the Guardians have been this season, they haven't looked good lately as they have been in a bit of a slump. It won't help that they have Carrasco on the mound here either. The Guardians have been giving up a ton of runs in their games lately, and now they have Carrasco going in this one who is 3-6 with a 5.22 ERA. The team has had success with him pitching lately, but he did give up 3 earned runs in his last start and that has been a common theme for him. The Rays are going to have Bradley starting in this one and he has looked a lot better in his starts lately, especially when pitching at home. He is 3-4 with a 3.23 ERA and the Rays have won 4 of their last 5 games with him starting. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and has been improving a lot over the last month. This is the time to take Bradley when he is pitching at home since he has been a solid starter there, and the Rays can definitely take advantage of this struggling Guardians team that hasn't been pitching well. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game.

Guardians Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 12, 2024 (6:50 pm ET start time) is Rays 5 Guardians 2.

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Cleveland Guardians: 54-35 (+11.92 units) on the moneyline in their last 89 games. 46-32 (+12.95 units) on the first 5 runline in their last 78 games. 

Tampa Bay Rays: 23-53 (-27 units) on the first 5 moneyline in their last 76 games. 28-43 (-24.35 units) on the first 5 runline in their last 71 games. 

Cleveland Guardians:  W. Brennan (RF) Out indefinitely - Oblique. T. Stephan (RP) out for season - Elbow. J. Karinchak (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. S. Bieber (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  R. Lovelady (RP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. J. Waguespack (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. W. Franco (SS) Out indefinitely - Poss. Suspension. J. Springs (RP) Early Aug - Elbow. D. Rasmussen (RP) Mid Aug - Elbow. S. McClanahan (SP) out for season - Elbow.

“We told Gabe to go on contact and if they threw home to stay in a rundown long enough for (Freeman) to get into scoring position. He executed it perfectly.” - Stephen Vogt after his team’s loss against the Tigers in their game on Wednesday.

“We did a lot of good things, had some good at-bats to get guys on base, but just couldn’t find a way to get that big hit to get us back in the ball game.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s loss against the Yankees in their game on Wednesday.

S Kwan (L) LF

A Martínez (S) CF

J Ramírez (S) DH

D Schneemann (L) 3B

D Fry (R) 1B

A Gimenez (L) 2B

W Brennan (L) RF

B Naylor (L) C

B Rocchio (S) SS

Y Díaz (R) 1B

B Lowe (L) DH

I Paredes (R) 3B

J Lowe (L) RF

R Arozarena (R) LF

R Palacios (L) 2B

J Siri (R) CF

B Rortvedt (L) C

T Walls (S) SS

Batting Average:  Steven Kwan (.361)

Hits:  José Ramírez (97)

Home Runs:  José Ramírez (23)

RBI:  José Ramírez (77)

Stolen Bases:  José Ramírez (18)

Wins:  Logan Allen (8)

Saves:  Emmanuel Clase (28)

ERA:  Shane Bieber (0.00)

Batting Average:  Amed Rosario (.302)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (98)

Home Runs:  Isaac Paredes (15)

RBI:  Isaac Paredes (50)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (24)

Wins:  Garrett Cleavinger (5)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (15)

ERA:  Edwin Uceta (0.77)

Managers:

Cleveland Guardians: Stephen Vogt (1st season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (10th season)