Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays Picks and Prediction for Saturday, September 6, 2025
In the third game of a four-game American League series, the Cleveland Guardians are taking on the Tampa Bay Rays inside George M. Steinbrenner Field on Saturday evening in our Guardians vs. Rays prediction. This article is being written ahead of Friday’s game. The Guardians are third in the AL Central with a 69-70 record and are sending young right-hander Tanner Bibee to the mound. The Rays are third in the AL East with a 71-69 record and have young righty Shane Baz getting the ball. From splits to bullpens, MLB predictions for the Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays that cut through the noise.
Guardians Looking for Consistency
The Cleveland Guardians are looking to continue to recover after their 4-2 road loss against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. The lineup was held to go just 3-for-30 with two walks and 13 strikeouts on the day as Jose Ramirez and Kyle Manzardo homered on the day. The Guardians did not have an at-bat with runners in scoring position and stranded five men on base. Logan Allen recorded the loss as he pitched five innings and allowed four runs (three earned).
The Guardians are sending young righty Tanner Bibee to pitch and he is struggling. In 27 starts, he is 9-11 in 154.2 innings with a 4.77 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He has struggled to limit the amount of homers as he allowed 26 this season after giving up 22 in 173.2 innings in 2024. Bibee faced the Rays earlier this season in a loss as he pitched six innings and allowed five runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
Injury Report for Cleveland
- Pitcher Nic Enright: Elbow (OUT)
- Center fielder Lane Thomas: Foot (OUT)
- Right fielder Will Brennan: Forearm (OUT)
- Pitcher Andrew Walters: Lat (OUT)
- Pitcher Ben Lively: Forearm (OUT)
- Pitcher John Means: Elbow (OUT)
- Pitcher Sam Hentges: Shoulder (OUT)
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Rays Looking to Stay in Playoff Race
The Tampa Bay Rays are looking to continue winning after Thursday’s 4-2 home win against the Cleveland Guardians in their most recent game. The Rays were able to go 8-for-32 with two walks and seven strikeouts at the plate as Jake Mangum stole a base. Tampa Bay finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position while leaving seven men on base. Ryan Pepiot secured the win as he pitched five no-hit innings.
Young right-hander Shane Baz is going to be taking the mound for the Rays in this game and has been struggling as he is 9-11 with a 4.98 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in 150.0 innings over 27 starts. He has been giving up hits as he has a .253 batting average against up to this point. Kelly faced the Astros once back in 2023 as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks in a loss as he pitched seven innings and gave up one run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Baz faced the Guardians once this season in a loss as he pitched six innings and allowed three runs on three hits with a pair of walks and seven strikeouts.
Injury Report for Tampa Bay
- Pitcher Stuart Fairchild: Oblique (OUT)
- Shortstop Taylor Walls: Groin (OUT)
- Center fielder Jonny DeLuca: Hamstring (OUT)
- First baseman Jonathan Aranda: Wrist (OUT)
- Pitcher Hunter Bigge: Lat (OUT)
- Pitcher Manuel Rodriguez: Forearm (OUT)
- Pitcher Shane McClanahan: Triceps (OUT)
- Pitcher Alex Faedo: Shoulder (OUT)
- Pitcher Nate Lavender: Elbow (OUT)
Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays Pick
Spread Pick for Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays
- Tampa Bay Rays -154 (4 units)
These pitchers are both struggling in their last seven starts, but there is a slight difference as Tanner Bibee is 3-2 with a 6.28 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP in 38.2 innings, while Shane Baz is 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in 36.0 innings. The ability to hit with runners in scoring position shows a gap as the Rays are sixth in baseball with a .785 team OPS with runners in scoring position, while the Guardians are tied with the Seattle Mariners for 21st with a .720 team OPS in those chances. All in all, go with the Tampa Bay Rays to secure the win.
Over/Under Pick for Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays
- Under (4 units)
Since the All-Star break, these teams are struggling at the plate as the Guardians are 29th with a .667 team OPS while the Rays are 23rd with a .702 team OPS in that span. These bullpens this season show they can limit runs as Cleveland is fifth with a 3.62 reliever ERA while Tampa Bay is eighth with a 3.68 bullpen ERA right now. The under is 8-1-1 in their previous 10 games against one another so take the under here.
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