Shane McClanahan, one of this season’s stingiest pitchers, leads the Tampa Bay Rays (-210) into Progressive Field on Friday as they take on the Cleveland Guardians (+175) for the opener of their American League Wild Card series. Don’t be surprised to see a pitchers’ duel with the early total at 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120). The Rays (86-76) were just swept in three games against the Red Sox, dropping the finale 6-3 on Wednesday at Fenway Park for their fifth straight loss. Ji-Man Choi was 3 for 4 with a home run and a double. He drove in two runs. Vidal Brujan added a solo home run. The Guardians (92-70) won four of six against the Royals in their last series, taking the finale 9-2 on Wednesday at Progressive Field. Jose Ramirez went 4 for 5 with a double, one run, and two RBIs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Guardians won four of six in the regular season series between the teams, including a 2-1 victory in their most recent meeting on September 29 at Progressive Field. Enyel De Los Santos got the win with one scoreless inning out of the bullpen, and Trevor Stephan picked up his third save with a scoreless ninth.
ON THE MOUND
McClanahan (12-8, 2.54 ERA) is set to start for Tampa Bay. The left-hander ranks fifth in the AL in ERA. McClanahan allowed two runs over five innings in his last start, a 2-1 home defeat against the Astros on Saturday. He was charged with the loss, yielding five hits while striking out two and walking one. McClanahan has made one previous start against the Guardians this season, a 5-3 home loss on July 31. He surrendered five runs on seven hits over 4.1 innings, striking out four and walking three. RHP Shane Bieber (13-8, 2.88 ERA) takes the mound for Cleveland. He has made two appearances against the Rays this season, both starts, giving up five runs over 13 innings (1-0, 3.46) with 14 strikeouts and two walks. In his last start on Sunday, Bieber got the win at home against the Royals. He threw five innings and gave up two runs (1 ER) on seven hits, striking out three and walking one in the 7-5 victory.
AT THE PLATE
The Tampa Bay offense is averaging 4.1 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .239/.309/.377. Yandy Diaz leads the team in OPS at .824. The third baseman is slashing .296/.401/.423 with nine home runs, 57 RBIs, and 71 runs over 137 games. Over the last five games, though, Tampa Bay has averaged only 1.6 runs a game while performing worse across the board (.171/.261/.314). Against right-handed pitchers like Bieber this season, the Rays have a .678 OPS. Diaz also is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .800 OPS in 347 at-bats. Cleveland is slashing .254/.316/.383 for the season and averaging 4.3 runs per game. Ramirez leads the team with a .869 OPS. The third baseman has 29 home runs, 126 RBIs, and 90 runs scored with a slash line of .280/.355/.514. The Guardians have a .646 OPS against left-handers in 2022, third lowest in the league. With a .887 OPS over 113 at-bats, Andres Gimenez has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Tampa Bay is on a five-game losing streak on the road, bringing their record to 35-46 in 2022. The Rays have scored 4.1 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.1 runs. Cleveland has gone 46-35 at home this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 4.0. Tampa Bay is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings at Progressive Field with an average scoreline of 4.6-3.1.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Guardians won the AL Central. The Rays finished third in the AL East.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Cleveland Guardians (-120)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
