Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians meet in a rescheduled Game 4 of the American League Championship Series after weather pushed this one back from Friday to Saturday night.
Both teams' pitching plans remain unchanged, with the Rays sending Nick Martinez to the hill and the Guardians opting for a bullpen game, which will be opened by Shawn Armstrong.
Rays vs. Guardians betting picks and predictions
Under 6.5 runs (-116)
With Milwaukee Brewers having already wrapped up the National League pennant with a sweep of Los Angeles Dodgers, all eyes turn to the American League Championship Series, where the Guardians hold a 2-1 lead over the Rays in the battle to reach the World Series.
The teams split the first two games at Tropicana Field before the Guardians took a competitive and low-scoring Game 3 at Progressive Field.
With the pitching staff of both teams getting an extra day of rest thanks to the weather delay, expect the hurlers to dominate once again.
Martinez goes to the mound for the Rays and he had plenty of success against Cleveland in his two regular-season meetings with them.
The 36-year-old pitched seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over the Guardians in April, before again keeping them scoreless in six innings en route to a 3-0 victory in July.
The Guardians look set to opt for a bullpen game and it is a unit which has dominated the Rays in this series. Armstrong is set to open and has allowed just one hit across 5 ⅓ scoreless innings this postseason.
The Rays struck out 13 times in Game 3 as they struggled to get to grips with the Guardians' pitching and none of Tampa Bay's big hitters have a postseason OPS above .667, demonstrating the level to which their lineup has struggled in the playoffs.
Cleveland closer Cade Smith has a 1.00 ERA and has struck out 13 in nine innings this postseason, so the Rays will not want it to come down to whether or not he can see it out.
With Martinez having plenty of success against the Guardians and with a well-rested Cleveland bullpen keeping a tight grip on the Rays’ hitters, the under looks a tempting bet again.
No home run hit (+160)
The weather has already caused havoc in this series and it looks set to be a frigid night in Cleveland, with temperatures in the low 40s.
The winds are expected to be fairly strong from the west and, as a result, no home run to be hit makes plenty of appeal.
This is a series in which pitching has dominated and extra-base hits have been hard to come by. That looks set to continue and putting one into the seats looks a like tough ask here.
Chase DeLauter over 1.5 total bases (+135)
In a series in which hitters have struggled, one player who has had plenty of success has been the Guardians' Chase DeLauter, who is 4-for-10 with a home run, two doubles and two RBIs.
The right-fielder has a 151 OPS+ over the last month and the rookie could have another big say in this matchup.
He has been able to get things going against this Rays squad and was 1-for-3 against Martinez when facing the Tampa Bay starter earlier this year.
Take DeLauter to go over 1.5 total bases.
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Rays vs. Guardians odds
Tampa Bay Rays | -122 |
Cleveland Guardians | -109 |
Run Line | Rays -1.5 |
Total | O/U 6.5 |
Rays vs. Guardians player props
Home run odds
Victor Mesa Jr. (TB Rays) | +575 |
Junior Caminero (TB Rays) | +600 |
Jo Adell (CLE Guardians) | +600 |
Jonathan Aranda (TB Rays) | +625 |
Chase DeLauter (CLE Guardians) | +650 |
Jose Ramirez (CLE Guardians) | +750 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
