Guardians vs Rays Wild Card Series Odds, Preview, Picks & Schedule
- The Cleveland Guardians are -130 favorites in the Guardians vs Rays Wild Card Series odds
- Cleveland was MLB’s hottest team down the stretch winning 24 of their final 30 games
- See below for the complete Guardians vs Rays Wild Card series odds, picks, and betting preview
Not much was expected of the Cleveland Guardians (92-70, 46-35 home) this season. After all, the Guardians finished two games below .500 last year, and boast the youngest roster in baseball. 17 players made their Major League debut for Cleveland this season, but that didn’t stop the Guardians from running away with the AL Central crown.
They’ll open up postseason play on Friday at 12:07 pm ET, in a best of three series against the Tampa Bay Rays (86-76, 35-46 away). All three games will take place at Progressive Field, in Cleveland, Ohio, and oddsmakers are bullish on Cleveland’s chances of advancing to the Divisional Round. It’s hard to blame them after the run the Guardians went on to close the season – more on that later.
Guardians vs Rays Wild Card Series Odds
| Team | Odds to Win Series |
|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians | -130 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +110 |
Odds as of October 5 at FanDuel Sportsbook. Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook promo code and see the latest on Ohio sports betting.
Cleveland is a -130 favorite to win their Wild Card Series, with Tampa Bay coming back as a +110 underdog. That gives the Guardians implied odds of 56.52% to advance to the next round, while a bettor would have to put down $130 on Cleveland in order to profit $100.
The Guardians and the Rays are seeded third and sixth respectively in the MLB playoff bracket, with the winner moving on to face the Yankees in the ALDS.
Cleveland vs Tampa Bay Team Stats
No MLB team was hotter down the stretch than the Guardians. Cleveland closed on a 24-6 run, winning each of their final eight series. Despite the impressive run however, the Guardians have the longest World Series odds of any team in the postseason. They’re +3500 to win it all, compared to +2800 for Tampa Bay, while Cleveland’s AL Pennant odds sit at +1200.
Their fantastic late season play included taking two of three from Tampa Bay last week at home, in an extremely low scoring series. The Guardians outscored the Rays 9-8 over the three-game set, winning each of the final two contests by a score of 2-1.
Young and hungry.
We wanted this, but we want more.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/CaQQuiML2U
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 25, 2022
Cleveland posted its second best offensive month of the season in September, averaging 4.4 runs per game and slashing .263/.329/.382. Jose Ramirez finished third in MLB in runs batted in, while he and teammate Andres Gimenez ranked top-seven in the American League in WAR.
Tampa Bay on the other hand, is limping into the playoffs. The Rays dropped their final five games, and finished 4-12 over the last two weeks to end the regular season. A lack of offense was a major factor for the skid, as the team averaged only 2.3 runs per game over their last 11 contests.
Offense was never Tampa Bay’s strong suit, as the team ranked bottom-10 in the league in scoring, slugging and OPS. Pitching was what kept them competitive in 2022, and they’ll need their hurlers to be virtually flawless if they want to advance to the next round.
Guardians vs Rays Probable Pitchers
The Rays staff finished the season with the fourth lowest ERA in baseball. The starting rotation is led by lefty Shane McClanahan, who’ll get the start in Game 1 per the MLB lineups.
The @Rays clinch a playoff spot last night, but I’ll be more focused on tonight’s game. Shane McClanahan gotta get back to form in order for the #Rays to make a deep run in the playoffs. ⬇️🔊 #Raysup pic.twitter.com/xCqACnPppe
— Xavier Scruggs (@Xavier_Scruggs) October 1, 2022
McClanahan was fantastic for the majority of the regular season, but did struggle over the final two weeks. He was roughed by both the Astros and Blue Jays, with Toronto taking him deep three times in a 7-1 defeat.
Tampa Bay will follow McClanahan with Tyler Glasnow in Game 2, who made just two starts all season after a lengthy recovery from Tommy John Surgery. Glasnow impressed in those outings by throwing 6.2 innings of one run ball, while striking out 10.
As of Wednesday night a Game 3 starter has not been named, but former Cleveland pitcher Corey Kluber will definitely be in consideration.
Cleveland vs Tampa Bay Projected Starters
| Game | TB Starter | CLE Starter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shane McClanahan (12-8, 2.54 ERA) | Shane Bieber (13-8, 2.88 ERA) |
| 2 | Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 1.35 ERA) | Triston McKenzie (11-11, 2.96 ERA) |
| 3 | TBD | Cal Quantrill (15-5, 3.38 ERA) |
The Guardians will counter with Shane Bieber in Game 1, who was exceptional down the stretch. He closed on a personal 5-0 run, allowing two runs or less in nine of his final 11 starts. He did suffer a hiccup against Tampa Bay last week, allowing six hits and four runs over 6 innings, but didn’t factor into the decision.
Shane Bieber: 2.05 ERA in last 12 starts
Triston McKenzie: 2.21 ERA in last 16 starts
Cal Quantrill: 2.32 ERA in last 10 starts
James Karinchak: 0.76 ERA in last 34 games
Emmanuel Clase: 0.97 ERA in last 68 gamesYou don't want to face the @CleGuardians right now. https://t.co/B9TrQoF64y
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) September 29, 2022
Triston McKenzie will get the ball in Game 2, after yielding two or fewer runs in five of his six September/October starts. The Guardians will turn to Cal Quantrill in Game 3 if necessary, who was undefeated at home. Quantrill pitched 112.1 innings at Progressive Field in 2022, posting a 9-0 record.
Pitching was a major factor for Cleveland’s success over the last 30 games. They posted a 2.86 ERA during that stretch, with a 1.07 WHIP at 3.6 K/BB rate.
Guardians vs Rays Series Pick
We just saw this series last week in Cleveland, with the Guardians earning a 2-1 series victory. A similar outcome is likely in the Wild Card Round given the form of both of these clubs. No one in baseball is hotter than Cleveland, while Tampa Bay had by far the worst finish of any playoff team.
The Guardians have the upper hand at the plate and on the mound, and when you throw in home field advantage for all three games, the choice is pretty clear.
Pick: Cleveland Guardians to Win Series (-130)
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
