This Wednesday the (84-69) Tampa Bay Rays and the (80-67) Cleveland Guardians will play the second game of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 6:10 PM EST inside Progressive Field. The last time that these two teams matched up, the Guardians ended up stealing two of three games.
The Tampa Bay Rays are coming into this one after splitting their previous four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Rays struggled at the plate to finish the series, though. They only scored two combined runs in the final two games.
The Cleveland Guardians are entering this one after sweeping the Texas Rangers in a three-game series. They looked great on the mound and at the plate, as they were getting the job done as a team. They also scored 10 runs in the final game.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Tampa Bay Rays are currently 4-6 in their last 10, as their poor play has not allowed them to challenge the Toronto Blue Jays for the top AL Wild Card spot. They are also still in third place in the AL East, as they still trail the New York Yankees by 10.0 games.
At the plate, the Rays are scoring 4.25 runs per game and they are hitting .242 as a team. This is the 21st most runs scored per game and the 15th highest overall team batting average. They have shown that they can consistently reach base safely, but they have dealt with injuries all season and they have struggled with men in scoring position. They have also realized that they don't have a ton of power inside of their lineup. They are only hitting .88 home runs per game, which is the 25th most in the MLB. I would watch for Randy Arozarena at the dish, as he leads the team with 20 home runs this season. I would also expect the Rays to stay aggressive o nce they have reached base safely. They have already stolen 89 bases in 2022, as this is the 13th most in the league. They will do whatever it takes to push their base runners closer to home plate.
According to MLB.com, the Rays will be starting Tyler Glasnow on the mound. This will be his first appearance of the 2022 season, as he has been dealing with injuries. He is now set to start in this game, as he was solid in 2021. He had a 2.66 ERA and a .93 WHIP, as he will be looking to pick up right where he left off. The Rays bullpen has been great this season, as well. They are allowing 3.32 runs per game, which is the sixth least in the MLB. Tampa Bay is also allowing 3.84 runs per game, which is the seventh least in the league.