by James Q
Saturday, Oct 08, 2022Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians Game Prediction, Odds and Preview - 10/09/2022
(If Necessary game 3)
Game Time: 4:07 pm ET, Sunday, October 9th, 2022
Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening MLB Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: (will update if necessary)
BetMGM: Moneyline:
PointsBet: Moneyline:
Season Record
Rays: 86-76, 3rd place AL East
Guardians: 92-70, 1st place AL Central.
If necessary this game will go off Sunday afternoon. The Wild Card series are a quick best two out of 3 games… and Cleveland finished Friday night with the win to put them at 1-0. A win on Saturday makes this prediction completely useless. The Rays finished the season 3rd in the AL East with just enough wins to get in this game. The Guardians finished the season 1st in the AL Central, but outside of the Yankees and Astros win totals. It’s win or go home and so far the Guardians have the opening advantage.
The Rays desperately need a win in Game two or it will be all over. It would be nice for Tampa to get to this game… The region suffered at the hands of a hurricane displacing fans, destroying homes, and unfortunately taking lives. A playoff win in baseball is not that important at times like these but a little joy can go a long way. The Problem Tampa Bay faces of course is the terrible hitting. Below league average in all categories. What has kept Tampa in the discussion to this point is that the pitching rotation is Top-4 in the league… literally 4th in ERA and 4th in WHIP… two great things for any team to be 4th in the league in. They will need to find offense by hook or by crook for a chance to move on.
The Guardians don’t necessarily need a win in Game 2, but to get an extra couple days of rest… and to get a dollop of confidence going forward it is always better to sweep. The Guardians are slightly better at the plate than the Rays… Yet on the mound the Guardians are slightly worse… Cleveland comes in 6th in ERA and 5th in WHIP… still pretty good… and only fractions of a difference with Tampa’s numbers.
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Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians Review and Analysis
Recent Form
Offensive Analysis
Tampa Bay finished the season 21st in runs scored with 4.11 per game, 17th in batting average with .239, 20th in OBP with .309
Cleveland finished the season 16th in runs scored per game with 4.31, 7th in batting average with .254, and 12th in OBP with .316.
Defensive Analysis
Tampa Bay’s pitching finished the season 4th in ERA with 3.41, 4th in WHIP with 1.15, and the fielders are 16th in errors with 84 on the season.
Cleveland’s pitchers finished the season 6th in ERA with 3.47, 5th in WHIP with 1.16, and the fielders are 5th in errors with only 75 on the season.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction
Our prediction for Sunday, October 9th is… Rays 5 - Guardians 4
If this Wild Card series gets a win or go home final game for both teams… The Guardians will do what all Cleveland teams do LOSE. The pressure will be too much. The idea that the Guardians are so much better than the Rays is preposterous… The Rays played in a much tougher division. The Rays have had longer and more sustained success over the last few seasons then the Guardians. So if we go to a 3rd: Bet on the Tampa Bay Rays on the moneyline! You will get decent payout odds… and it is the right thing to do… We just have to get there.
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MLB Betting Trends
(will update if necessary)
Players to Watch
Tampa Bay Rays: TBD
Cleveland Guardians TBD
Starting Lineups
Rays: 3B Yandy Diaz, SS Wander Franco, LF Randy Arozarena, DH Harold Ramirez, 1B Ji-Man Choi, RF Manuel Margot, C Christian Bethancourt, 2B Taylor Walls, CF Jose Siri
Guardians: LF Steven Kwan, SS Amed Rosario, 3B Jose Ramirez, RF Oscar Gonzalez, 1B Josh Naylor, DH Owen Miller, 2B Andres Giminez, C Austin Hedges, CF Myles Straw
James Q
About the Author:
James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.
