Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/25/2026

Game Time: 6:10 pm ET, Saturday, July 25, 2026

Venue:  Tropicana Field, Petersburg, FL 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Guardians +113, Rays -136; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Guardians +115, Rays -135; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Guardians +115, Rays -140; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Cleveland Guardians:  54-50 (2nd place, AL Central)

Tampa Bay Rays:  59-43 (1st place, AL East)

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Cleveland Guardians:  6-4 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  4-6 last 10

The Guardians are entering this series off a loss and split their 4-game series against the Minnesota Twins 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 54-50 record overall and have a road record of 27-24. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 27th in the MLB with a .687 OPS. Joey Cantillo is their starting pitcher on Friday while Tanner Bibee is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 4-9 with a 3.86 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 5 SO on 6 hits through 6 IP against the Minnesota Twins.

The Rays are entering this series off a loss and won their 4-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 59-43 record overall and have a home record of 35-15. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Guardians on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 7th in the MLB with a .735 OPS. Shane McClanahan is their starting pitcher on Friday while Nick Martinez is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 9-2 with a 2.59 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 0 strikeouts on 6 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 59-43 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 35-15 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Guardians have looked good in their games this season with their 54-50 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 27-24 road record this year. The Guardians are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have looked good lately while the Rays are only 4-6 in their last 10 games, but the Rays have the momentum on their side here after winning their last series against the Blue Jays while the Guardians lost the last 2 games against the Twins to split that series. The Guardians also have one of the worst offenses in the league this season and the Rays are going to have the better pitching matchup too. Martinez is starting for the Rays in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 9-2 with a 2.59 ERA and he has been their ace this year. He is coming off another great start in which he gave up 1 earned run which has been a common theme for him and the team has had a ton of success with him lately, winning 5 games in a row now with him starting. The Guardians are going with Bibee in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 4-9 with a 3.86 ERA and the team has had a ton of trouble with him this year. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start and the team has won 2 games in a row now with him starting, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this year. The Rays have the stronger offense to lean on here and they also have one of the best home records in MLB, so look for them to take advantage of this pitching matchup at home. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Guardians Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, July 25, 2026 (6:10 pm ET start time) is Rays 6 Guardians 1.

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Cleveland Guardians: 239-201 (+33.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 113-105 (+25.2 units) on the moneyline in road games. 89-103 (+13.6 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 84-51 UNDER as a road underdog of +100 or higher.

Tampa Bay Rays: 42-43 (-11.8 units) on the moneyline against AL Central opponents. 216-210 (-7.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 87-117 (-22 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 18-10 UNDER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Cleveland Guardians:  T. Herrin (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. A. Martinez (LF) Ten Day IL - Foot.

Tampa Bay Rays:  T. Walls (SS) Day To Day - Finger. S. Matz (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Ankle. J. Heasley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Lux (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. Fraley (RF) Ten Day IL - Groin. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. S. Wilson (RP) Sixty Day IL - Back. M. Rodriguez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“We’ve talked about it for a couple years. When Gavin throws strikes, he's dominant. We saw it obviously his last couple times out. He's doing it with all of his pitches too, with the fastball, with both breaking balls. He's getting punchouts, and when you punch people out, you don't put it in play, you're going to get outs. We’ve just really seen Gavin grow, and even through his struggles, I think a lot of pitchers would take his struggles to be their ‘A’ game.” - Stephen Vogt on Gavin Williams after his team’s loss against the Twins in their game on Thursday. 

“We had a nice run here of three games, three solid games. Continue that when we get back home.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s loss against the Blue Jays in their game on Thursday. 

Steven Kwan (L) LF

José Ramírez (S) 3B

Chase DeLauter (L) RF

Brayan Rocchio (S) SS

Travis Bazzana (L) 2B

Rhys Hoskins (R) DH

Kyle Manzardo (L) 1B

Patrick Bailey (S) C

Petey Halpin (L) CF

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Victor Mesa Jr. (L) RF

Jonny DeLuca (R) CF

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Ben Williamson (R) SS

Richie Palacios (L) 2B

Hunter Feduccia (L) C

Batting Average:  Chase DeLauter (.284)

Hits:  Brayan Rocchio (95)

Home Runs:  Angel Martínez (11)

RBI:  Chase DeLauter (50)

Stolen Bases:  José Ramírez (24)

Wins:  Gavin Williams (10)

Saves:  Cade Smith (29)

ERA:  Franco Aleman (1.64)

Batting Average:  Yandy Díaz (.307)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (117)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (29)

RBI:  Jonathan Aranda (65)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (26)

Wins:  Nick Martinez (9)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (26)

ERA:  Michael Grove (0.00)

Managers:

Cleveland Guardians: Stephen Vogt (3rd season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)