Tyler Glasnow is in line for his first start of the season as the Tampa Bay Rays (-220) face off against the Cleveland Guardians (+180) at Progressive Field on Wednesday. Look out for a pitchers’ duel with the early total at 6.5 runs with the over a -120 favorite. The Rays (85-69) took Tuesday’s series opener 6-5 in 11 innings, their second head-to-head victory in four games this season. Reliever Javy Guerra threw one scoreless inning to get the win, and Calvin Faucher pitched the ninth to pick up his first save of the season. Jose Siri was 1 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs in the win. Steven Kwan’s on-base streak reached 10 games as he went 3 for 5 with two runs and one RBI for the Guardians (86-68).
ON THE MOUND
Glasnow is slated to start for Tampa Bay, his season debut. Last season, the righty made 14 starts and went 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA. He had 123 strikeouts and 27 walks over 88.0 innings. Righty Triston McKenzie (11-11, 3.04 ERA) gets the ball for Cleveland. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Rays. McKenzie made one start against the Rays in 2021, throwing six innings in a 3-2 home win on July 25. He gave up five hits and walked one, while striking out six in the no-decision. In his last start on September 21, McKenzie got the win on the road against the White Sox. He threw eight innings and gave up two runs on six hits, striking out 13, in the 8-2 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Tampa Bay has averaged 5.6 runs a game, up from their season average of 4.2, partially due to greater slugging (.383 vs .381). Against right-handed pitchers like McKenzie this season, the Rays have a .687 OPS. Yandy Diaz is the team’s strongest performer against right-handers with a .805 OPS in 342 at-bats. Cleveland is averaging 5.8 runs per game in the last five, up from 4.3 for the season, with a higher slugging percentage (.396 vs .383). The Guardians have a .714 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .386 OBP over 422 at-bats, Kwan has their highest on-base percentage against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Tampa Bay is 34-39 on the road in 2022, scoring 4.3 runs per game while allowing 4.2 runs. Cleveland has gone 40-33 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 4.0. In the last 10 meetings at Progressive Field, Tampa Bay is 8-2 with an average scoreline of 5.7-3.3.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Rays are third in the AL East, 10 games behind the division-leading Yankees. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting second with a magic number of eight. The Guardians lead the AL Central by 10 games over the White Sox.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Cleveland Guardians (-125)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
