The Cleveland Guardians are trying to stay alive in the AL Central race as they are currently second in the division with a 56-60 record. Young right-hander Xzavion Curry gets the ball in this game and is coming off a no-decision against the Chicago White Sox where he threw five innings and gave up two runs on four hits with zero walks and four strikeouts.
The Tampa Bay Rays have been incredibly well as they are second in the AL East with a 69-48 record so far. Righty Aaron Civale is on the mound here against his former team and coming off a loss against the Detroit Tigers as he pitched 4.1 innings and allowed three runs on nine hits with zero walks and four strikeouts.
Match Details
Fixture: Cleveland Guardians @ Tampa Bay Rays
Date & Time: Friday, August 11, 6:40 p.m. EDT
Venue Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
Guardians vs. Rays Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
| Cleveland Guardians | +1.5 (-122) | +180 | Over 8.5 (-108) |
| Tampa Bay Rays | -1.5 (+102) | -218 | Under 8.5 (-112) |
Odds Subject to Change**
Guardians vs. Rays Key Stats
Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians need to be better offensively than they have been this year. They are currently 26th in the majors with a .688 OPS while scoring 3.99 runs per game. Cleveland has not been doing well on the road as they rank 24th with a .249/.310/.375 team slash line and scoring 4.4 runs in their 57 road games so far. First baseman Josh Naylor is hitting well and has a .846 OPS with 15 homers, 79 RBIs, and 41 runs scored.
Xzavion Curry has been pitching well throughout the year primarily out of the bullpen. He is sitting at 3-1 with a 2.95 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP across 64 innings of work. Hitters have hit just seven home runs against him this year or a little less than one every nine innings. He has pitched well in his four starts this season as he is pitching to a 2.57 ERA and a .170 batting average against thus far.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of the best offensive teams in all of MLB as they rank fifth in the sport with a .771 OPS while averaging 5.15 runs per game up to this point. They have been hitting at home well so far. Tropicana Field has been doing well as in their 59 home games, the Rays are eighth with a .772 home OPS while scoring 5.17 runs per game. Shortstop Wander Franco has been hitting well as he has a .279/.343/.471 slash line with 16 homers, 55 RBIs, 63 runs scored, and 29 stolen bases on 39 attempts.
Aaron Nola has been doing incredibly well up to this point. He is currently 5-3 with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 81.1 innings in his 14 starts. Hitters have been struggling to get hits against him as they have a .222 batting average against Civale’s pitches. He is facing his former team and this is only his second start with the Rays so it will be interesting as they know his stuff better than any other team.
Guardians vs. Rays Prediction
The Guardians have not been hitting well but they know Aaron Civale better than any other team would. Xzavion Curry has been pitching well enough to keep the Guardians in the game as well. When looking at the bullpens there has been a difference this season as Cleveland is fourth in baseball with a 3.55 reliever ERA while Tampa Bay is 11th with a 3.91 bullpen ERA. Expect this game to be low scoring and Cleveland to cover the run line.
