Xam’s Daily Gem:
Guardians Money Line -134 FanDuel 1 Unit
The Guardians are coming off a 3-game sweep of the historically inept White Sox and now look to keep expanding their AL Central division lead with the Rays coming to town. The Guardians have been led by a DOMINANT pitching staff that has given up the 4th FEWEST runs in baseball! That’s BAD NEWS for a Rays team averaging JUST 3.43 runs per game over their last 30 games. It’s no surprise to see them struggle offensively after they traded away Isaac Paredes and Randy Arozarena at the Trade Deadline. This is good news for Guardians starter for Gavin Williams. He’s looking to bounce back from a DREADFUL start his last time out, when he couldn’t even get out of the 1st inning against the Dodgers! Fortunately, the Rays provide an easier opportunity for him to succeed. He did have back-to-back good starts against the Royals before that outing, pitching a combined 12 innings and giving up just 3 earned runs. The Rays counter with youngster Ryan Pepiot, who’s putting together a solid season for the Rays. He has a 3.66 ERA and 1.14 WHIP on the year, and his ERA is down to a STERLING 2.17 over his last 7 starts. However, he’s struggled in 2 September starts, pitching to a 4.32 ERA, .286 batting average against, and 1.92 WHIP. This may mean he’s getting tired as the season is winding down. The Guardians have been a SOLID offensive team all year at home. They’re averaging 4.91 runs per game at Progressive Field this season. If they can score some runs, Williams and Cleveland’s DOMINANT bullpen SHOULD be able to contain a WEAK hitting Rays team. Simply put, the Rays have NOTHING to play for while the Guardians have EVERYTHING to play for!