Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians: American League Wild Card Game 2 Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 10/8/2022

by Chuck Sommers

Friday, Oct 07, 2022
American League Wild Card, Game 2 -- Guardians lead best-of-3 series 1-0

Time: 12:07 p.m. ET
Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Where to watch: ESPN2

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Guardians -115, Rays -105
FanDuel: Guardians -116, Rays -102
BetMGM: Guardians -115, Rays -105
Caesars: Guardians -115, Rays -105

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Rays - Guardians preview and analysis


The battle of the aces lived up to the hype in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians. On this day, though, Game 1 belonged to Shane Bieber and Jose Ramirez, with the two combining for a gem at both sides of the field to push the Guardians to a 2-1 win over the Rays in the opening game of the 2022 postseason.
 
Bieber, the former AL Cy Young winner, pitched 7.2 strong innings and gave up just one run on three hits while striking out eight to put the Guardians one win away from getting to the ALDS for a date with the New York Yankees. Because that’s exactly what you want to have happen in this situation. The Guardians had only two runs on eight hits, but the one hit was the biggest when Ramirez, the all-star third baseman, hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth to give Cleveland the lead.
 
“It makes me feel very good when I get that recognition,” Ramírez said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero, “and I feel these are the best fans in the world, so it's really happy for me to get that ovation.”
 
Ramirez has been clutch all year and has embodied what the Guardians hope is a fruitful future. When he signed a five-year extension before the season began, it was seen as a decision that should’ve been had with a grain of salt. There’s no way that he could’ve thought Cleveland would be in this position in October. But Ramirez set the tone for this young Cleveland team, leading the team in home runs, RBI and runs scored. He missed only five games this season and was a model of consistency in every sense of the imagination.
 
“For me, he's the best player in baseball,” Guardians shortstop Amed Rosario said.
 
He keeps playing like this, Ramirez might actually be that. Ramirez is absolutely the MVP of this team and if he can continue playing like this, the Guardians are going to be a rough out if they advance, even for the Yankees.
 
This game highlights the importance of how good Bieber was, because on the other side, Rays ace Shane McClanahan was just as good. McClanahan, who had started preparing an AL Cy Young case of his own all season, went seven innings and struck out five while giving up those two runs off Ramirez’s blast. But the biggest worry right now is how the Rays only mustered three hits and one run. The big bats of Yandy Diaz, Randy Arozarena and Wander Franco all went hitless and nothing else after. It was a microcosm of what was the final month-plus, with the Rays scoring one run or fewer in 12 of the final 33 games.
 
“Sometimes the bats just don’t want to hit, but we all go through these bad times,” Díaz said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “We just need to keep a positive mind.”
 
Unfortunately for the Rays, that positive mindset is not going to do them any good if their season comes to an end tomorrow. And for the Guardians, it couldn’t be any better of a matchup with young righty Triston McKenzie taking the mound. Normally I would second Tyler Glasnow being ready for a good outing, but if the Rays can’t score, what good will it be?
 

Prediction

 
The fact the Guardians can win these types of games says a lot about the next round. The Yankees will have more firepower than what Tampa Bay offers, but for the Rays to squeak by and for this to be their fate, I’m not sure any more can be done. Guardians win 4-2

Betting trends


Rays are 15-5 this season on the road when the total is seven or less.

Rays are 10-9 all-time when trailing 1-0 in a series.

Rays are 35-46 on the road this season.

Guardians are 33-15 this season after winning six or seven of their last eight.

Guardians are 37-38 in playoff games since 1997.

Projected lineup


Rays:
Yandy Diaz (R) 3B
Wander Franco (S) SS
Randy Arozarena (R) LF
Harold Ramirez (R) DH
Ji-Man Choi (L) 1B
Manuel Margot (R) RF
Christian Bethancourt (R) C
Taylor Walls (S) 2B
Jose Siri (R) CF

Guardians:
Steven Kwan (L) LF
Amed Rosario (R) SS
Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
Oscar Gonzalez (R) RF
Josh Naylor (L) 1B
Owen Miller (R) DH
Andres Gimenez (L) 2B
Austin Hedges (R) C
Myles Straw (R) CF

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert MLB picks today. And if you enjoyed this Tampa Bay Rays - Cleveland Guardians preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB playoff projections and predictions.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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