Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Pick & Prediction 9/12/24

Thursday’s matchup between the Rays and Guardians is set to get started at 7:15 PM ET from Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. The Guardians are currently on a three-game winning streak and are 84-62 overall, while the Rays have lost three straight and are 71-75.

FOX will be televising Thursday’s game, and the Guardians are the betting favorite, with the money line odds sitting at -142. The over/under line is at 8 runs, and Thursday’s starting pitching matchup features Ryan Pepiot for the Rays and Gavin Williams for the Guardians.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cleveland Guardians Moneyline -142

This game will be played at Progressive Field at 7:15 ET on Thursday, September 12th.

HOW TO BET THE RAYS VS GUARDIANS:

• We have the Guardians winning by a score of 5 to 4
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Rays to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

Rays Records & Stats

The Rays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Phillies with a 3-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 7th inning before the Phillies scored two runs in the bottom of the 8th. Tampa Bay was the +191 underdog going into this road game.

Shane Baz got the start for the Rays and took the loss. He pitched well, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up just two runs on three hits. However, the Rays’ offense could only score two runs, and Jonathan Aranda’s homer was wasted. The Rays also wasted a big game from Aranda, who went jsonly 2/3.

Tampa Bay is 71-75 overall and trails the Yankees by 13 games in the AL East. The Rays have dropped three straight games, losing the final three games of their series vs. the Phillies. In the AL East, they are 4th and trail the Red Sox by three games for the final Wild Card spot.

At home, the Rays are 37-38 this year and 34-37 on the road. As the underdog, Tampa Bay is 36-45 this year, and they are 35-30 as the favorite. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 22-19-6, and they are even 4-6 in their last 10 games.

When betting the run line on the Rays, it has been a profitable endeavor as they are 75-71 on the season. They have been especially good on the road, going 41-30. They have been a good bet as the underdog, going 51-30. Their average run margin in their wins is +2.8, while it is -3.4 in their losses.

Today’s over/under line for the Tampa Bay Rays’ game against the Cleveland Guardians is set at 8 runs. The Rays have an over/under record of 65-73 this season, with an average combined run average of 8.1 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 16-20-1. So far this season, 46 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, accounting for 31.5% of their games.

Ryan Pepiot gets the start for the Rays today as he faces off against the Guardians on the road. He has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 8-6 with a 3.66 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, opponents are batting .207 this season, and he has a WHIP of 1.14. Pepiot’s last outing came on September 7th, where he picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up just one earned run. In that outing, he gave up six hits, two walks, and one home run. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight outings.

For the season, the Rays are averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is the worst mark in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs, batting average, and slugging percentage. However, they do have the 9th fewest strikeouts in the league, and their team BABIP is 11th in the league. As a team, they are batting just .231.

Yandy Diaz has been one of the few bright spots in the Rays lineup this season, as he is batting .281 with a team-high 14 homers and 65 RBIs. He is also on a four-game hitting streak and has gone 11/31 in his last eight games. Christopher Morel and Jose Siri are also near the top of the team in home runs, but Morel is batting just .196, and Siri is hitting only .184.

Guardians Records & Stats

Cleveland closed out their series vs. the White Sox with a 6-4 win on the road. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at -238. It was a big 1st inning for the Guardians, as they scored two runs, and added another three runs in the 3rd.

Matthew Boyd got the start for the Guardians, going 4 1/3 innings, and picked up the win. He only gave up one run on six hits and issued just two walks. Austin Hedges hit a homer for the Guardians but went just 1/3.

Cleveland kicks off their series vs. the Rays having won three straight games, and they lead the AL Central by 4.5 games with an overall record of 84-62. The Guardians closed out their series vs. the White Sox with three straight wins. So far, they are 27-21 in divisional games.

At home, the Guardians are 43-25 this season, and they have gone 41-37 on the road. This season, the Guardians have been the favorite in most of their games, putting together a record of 59-30 as the favorite. They are also 38-18 as the favorite at home. So far this year, they are 27-32 as the underdog.

The Guardians are 74-72 against the run line this season, and they are 33-35 versus the run line at home. They have a run line record of 41-37 on the road and have covered the run line in five straight games. They are 42-47 versus the run line as the favorite and 32-25 as the underdog. Their average run margin in winning games is 3.3, while it is -3.2 in losing games.

Today’s over/under line for the Cleveland Guardians’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays is set at 8 runs. The Guardians have an over/under record of 66-69 on the season, with an average combined run average of 8.5 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, Cleveland has a record of 13-15-6. Overall, 47.3% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8 runs.

Gavin Williams will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Dodgers, as he only went two-thirds of an inning in that start. Against the Dodgers, he gave up five earned runs, took the loss, and gave up two homers. Before that outing, he had pitched well, picking up the win vs. the Royals and going seven innings, giving up just one earned run. Williams has a record of 3-8 this season and an ERA of 5.25. Out of his 13 starts, he has three quality starts and is averaging 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. For the year, Williams has given up six homers at home and 0.9 homers per nine innings.

Over his last seven games, Lane Thomas has been hot for the Guardians, going 10/28 with two homers and 10 RBIs. He is also currently on a seven-game hitting streak. For the season, Thomas is batting .270, which is 2nd on the team. Jose Ramirez has also been swinging a good bat of late, as he is on a four-game hitting streak and leads the team with 34 homers and 106 RBIs.

For the season, the Guardians are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.9 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .239 and have the league’s worst BABIP, but they have been good at avoiding strikeouts.