Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians September 27 Betting Preview

In what could be a preview of a potential first-round matchup, the Tampa Bay Rays (84-69) will square off with the Cleveland Guardians (86-67) in the first of a three-game series on Tuesday. The Guardians will host this one at Progressive Field with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m.

For the Rays, they come in having split a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays in their last series. After taking the first two games of the series, they dropped the final two, including a 7-1 loss on Sunday.

The Guardians have been red hot as of late and swept the Texas Rangers over the weekend. On Sunday, they downed Texas 10-4 to secure their first AL Central crown since 2018.

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Guardians And Rays Coming Off Rest Day

The Guardians are the favorites Tuesday playing at home. They are (-148) to win, while the Rays’ moneyline sits at (+128). The runline features Tampa Bay +1.5 (-186), and the over/under for total runs is 6.5.

Rays Still Have Work To Do

At 84-69, it appears that the Tampa Bay Rays will make the playoffs as a Wild Card team, but the Rays still have work to do as they jockey for position. Currently, they hold the second Wild Card spot, but they sit just a half-game ahead of the Seattle Mariners. If the Rays fall to the third spot, they would face Cleveland in the opening round of the playoffs.

Taking the mound on Tuesday is a familiar face to Cleveland fans as Corey Kluber will get the ball. The former Guardian is 10-9 in 29 games with a 4.30 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and he has 130 strikeouts in 155 innings.

He took a no-decision in his last start against the Astros, going seven innings and allowing just one run on six hits.

Randy Arozarena has been the Rays’ best hitter this season. He is hitting .273/.335/.461 with a team-leading 20 home runs, 88 runs batted in, 69 runs scored, and 32 stolen bases.

Guardians Look To Stay Hot

While Cleveland has clinched the AL Central, they don’t want to let up now. With the postseason looming, they want to stay as hot as they have been, especially given that they have won nine of their last 10.

Ace Shane Bieber will get the ball in the opener Tuesday. In 29 games, he is 12-8 with a 2.81 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and he has 189 strikeouts in 189 innings.

Bieber has been solid as of late, winning four straight games. In that span, he has given up five earned runs in a combined 30 innings of work.

Steven Kwan continues to impress in his rookie season. In 530 at-bats, he is hitting .298/.373/.400 with six home runs, 49 runs batted in, 84 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases.

Guardians In A Good Spot Playing At Home

Looking at the trends, Cleveland is in a good spot playing at home Tuesday. First, they are 40-32 when playing at Progressive Field, but they have also won seven straight and four of their last five home games.

For Tampa Bay, they are just 2-5 in their last seven games. Even though they have won 12 of their last 15 versus Cleveland, this is an entirely different Cleveland team than years past, especially with Bieber on the mound Tuesday.

It won’t be an easy game and may have a playoff feel to it, but don’t be surprised if the Guardians keep the good times rolling and pick up another home win in the opener.