Rays face the Guardians with 2-0 series lead

Updated Sep. 14, 2024 4:00 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Tampa Bay Rays (73-75, fourth in the AL East) vs. Cleveland Guardians (84-64, first in the AL Central)

Cleveland; Saturday, 6:10 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Rays: Drew Rasmussen (0-1, 2.79 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 22 strikeouts); Guardians: Joey Cantillo (1-3, 5.96 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 25 strikeouts)

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Guardians -130, Rays +110; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Rays take a 2-0 advantage into the next game of the series against the Cleveland Guardians.

Cleveland has an 84-64 record overall and a 43-27 record in home games. The Guardians are 60-11 in games when they out-hit their opponents.

Tampa Bay has a 36-37 record in road games and a 73-75 record overall. The Rays have gone 21-8 in games when they hit at least two home runs.

The matchup Saturday is the sixth time these teams square off this season. The Rays hold a 4-1 advantage in the season series.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jose Ramirez has 34 home runs, 51 walks and 106 RBI while hitting .270 for the Guardians. Andres Gimenez is 12-for-43 with a double, a home run and five RBI over the last 10 games.

Christopher Morel leads Tampa Bay with 21 home runs while slugging .358. Yandy Diaz is 14-for-36 with two home runs and six RBI over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Guardians: 5-5, .222 batting average, 2.90 ERA, even run differential

Rays: 5-5, .244 batting average, 2.71 ERA, outscored opponents by eight runs

INJURIES: Guardians: Alex Cobb: 15-Day IL (finger), Sam Hentges: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Carlos Carrasco: 15-Day IL (hip), Shane Bieber: 60-Day IL (elbow), Trevor Stephan: 60-Day IL (elbow), James Karinchak: 60-Day IL (shoulder)

Rays: Christopher Morel: day-to-day (achilles), Jeffrey Springs: 15-Day IL (elbow), Colin Poche: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Peter Anderson Fairbanks: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Richard Palacios: 10-Day IL (knee), Jacob Waguespack: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Shane McClanahan: 60-Day IL (forearm)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.