Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians Wild Card Series Odds

Finally, we are just 24 hours removed from a playoff atmosphere back in Cleveland. The Cleveland Guardians are set to host the Tampa Bay Rays in a best-of-three American League Wild Card Series starting Friday afternoon at Progressive Field. 

Both teams enter the series with excellent starting pitching, a lineup full of hitters that are not the big powerhouse names you see in lineups like the Yankees and the Dodgers, but they are more than capable of scoring runs. 

The regular season series favors the Guardians as they grabbed four out of six against the Rays. Can they continue this trend into the playoffs and advance themselves into the American League Divisional Round against the Yankees?

Want to place a risk-free bet on the Guardians this October? Visit betJACK Training Camp to get started today and prepare for sports betting in Ohio on January 1!

Series Winner: Rays (-109), Guardians (-113)

According to betJACK, the Guardians are the very slim favorites to win this series at home.

There is no question both of these teams have some of the best pitching rotations in the playoffs. Again, while their lineups may not be stacked, they always say all it takes to win games in the MLB playoffs is great pitching and a lineup that is hot at the right time. 

Exact Series Outcome:

• Guardians to win series 2-0 (+240)
• Guardians to win series 2-1 (+290)
• Rays to win series 2-0 (+300)
• Rays to win series 2-1 (+270)

No matter what the outcome of the series is, it has been a very successful season for the Guardians. 

While fans of the Guardians and fans of the sport in general across the world might be upset at the times the Guardians and Rays were handed for their series, it is what it is.

When you have an extremely low attendance, you are not going to be rewarded with a prime-time slot to play in. In all honesty, it might help the Guardians as it won't really feel like a playoff game and it will just feel like another day baseball game given the fact that the first two games will be two day games, one being in the middle of a work day for most people. 

The Guardians have what it takes to have success in the postseason. They have the pitching, they have the young talent, and they enter the playoffs winning 15 of their last 19 games, keeping the same mindset they've had all season long; nobody said we'd be here, so why not us?