Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays July 30 Betting Preview

After winning the first game of the series on Friday, the Cleveland Guardians (51-48) will try to make it two in a row as they take on the Tampa Bay Rays (53-47) in the second of a three-game series Saturday. 

The Rays will host this one at Tropicana Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:10 pm ET.

Shane Bieber was electric in the win, allowing just one run over seven innings. He allowed just five hits while striking out eight.

Offensively, Jose Ramirez led the charge going two for three with a home run and three runs batted in. Steven Kwan added three hits and two runs in the victory.

In total, the Rays managed just six hits, with Josh Lowe and Yu Chang accounting for four of those six hits. The top five batters for the Rays accounted for just two hits and seven strikeouts on the night.

Guardians July 30 Betting Odds

The Rays are the favorites on Saturday playing at home. They are -126 to win while the Guardians’ moneyline sits at +108. The runline features Cleveland +1.5 (-196), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5.

The Guards are underdogs against old friend Corey Kluber. You can bet on this matchup for free in Ohio now with betJACK!

Pitching Matchup

Cleveland will send righty Zach Plesac to the mound Saturday. In 18 games, he is 2-8 with a 4.09 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, and he has 72 strikeouts in 99 innings. In his last three starts, Plesac has given up a combined nine runs in just 13.2 innings of work.

The Rays will give the ball to 36-year-old righty Corey Kluber. In 19 games, he is 6-6 with a 3.91 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, and he has 84 strikeouts in 99 innings.

Cleveland On Twins’ Heels

With Cleveland’s win Friday and the Twins’ loss, the Guardians now sit just a single game back of Minnesota in the AL Central. Trying to move back into a tie for first, Cleveland will look to pick up the win Saturday and secure a series win.

In limited at bats, the Guardians have struggled a bit against Corey Kluber. Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez both have a single hit off of him, but overall, the Guardians are just 2 for 14 against the righty.

After his big night Friday, Jose Ramirez continues to lead the Guardians’ offense. He is now hitting .287/.363/.572 with a team-leading 21 home runs, 83 runs batted in, 57 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases.

Rays Still Sitting In Postseason Spot

Having lost seven of their last ten games, it has been a tough stretch for the Tampa Bay Rays. Still, they sit in the third Wild Card spot in the American League and would be in the postseason if the season ended today. Just 1.5 games back in the standings are the Guardians, so Tampa Bay will hope to create some separation with a win Saturday.

Keep an eye out for Ji-Man Choi in this one. Against Zach Plesac, he is two for six with a home run. Combined, Rays’ hitters are 6 for 21 against Plesac.

Randy Arozarena has been the best hitter for the Rays this season. He is currently hitting .255/.314/.424 with 12 home runs, 43 runs scored, and a team-leading 47 runs batted in.

Still, the Rays don’t put up a ton of runs as they rank just 22nd in scoring, averaging 4.14 runs per game.

Cleveland’s Plesac Looks To Get Back In Win Column

Even though his earned run average sits at a moderate 4.09, Zach Plesac has struggled to get into the win column this season for Cleveland. At 2-8, he last picked up a win back on June 5 in a win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Since that time, he has allowed 16 earned runs over 43.2 innings. He is relatively consistent as he has gone five or more innings in all but one of his ten starts, but the Guardians need him to be sharp as they look to lock up a series win Saturday.

If Plesac can limit the Rays’ damage against him, Cleveland should hopefully be able to scratch a few runs across against Tampa Bay’s Corey Kluber.