Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Guardians Predictions & Picks
Cleveland are tipped to bounce back from their Game 2 defeat to the Rays.
The Guardians are turning to Gavin Williams in this one, and not only has he been in great form in the postseason so far, he also boasts a strong career record against Tampa.
They also have a fresh and stronger bullpen that can help them get over the line late on.
- Cleveland Guardians are 6-2 in their last 8 home games
- Tampa Bay Rays are 6-6 in their previous 12 road games
- Gavin Williams has allowed just 24 hits and 10 earned runs in his last 40 innings
- Gavin Williams is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA when facing Tampa Bay in his career
- The Under has cashed in 8 of the previous 10 meetings
Head To Head
- Cleveland Guardians lead the all-time series 116-92
- This MLB Playoffs series is tied at 1-1
- Tampa Bay Rays won 3-1 when the two teams last met on October 13
Tampa Bay Rays Form
Tampa Bay head to Cleveland having bounced back from their first defeat in the 2026 postseason.
The Rays swept the New York Yankees in the previous round, but had to respond some early adversity in this series as they answered a 7-3 home defeat to Cleveland with a 3-1 victory in Game 2.
| Date | Playoff Opposition | W/L | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct-03 | vs New York Yankees | W | 1-0 |
| Oct-05 | vs New York Yankees | W | 5-2 |
| Oct-07 | at New York Yankees | W | 4-3 |
| Oct-12 | vs Cleveland Guardians | L | 3-7 |
| Oct-13 | vs Cleveland Guardians | W | 3-1 |
Cleveland Guardians Form
Cleveland return home looking to bounce back from a defeat that ended their four-game playoff win streak.
The Guardians fought back from two games down to eliminate the Chicago White Sox in the previous round, and they now go into this matchup having split the first two games of the series with Tampa, winning 7-3 before losing 3-1.
| Date | Playoff Opposition | W/L | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct-03 | vs Chicago White Sox | L | 0-3 |
| Oct-05 | vs Chicago White Sox | L | 3-4 |
| Oct-07 | at Chicago White Sox | W | 9-3 |
| Oct-08 | at Chicago White Sox | W | 9-5 |
| Oct-10 | vs Chicago White Sox | W | 2-0 |
| Oct-12 | at Tampa Bay Rays | W | 7-3 |
| Oct-13 | at Tampa Bay Rays | L | 1-3 |
Starting Pitchers
| Player | Team | Record | ERA | Strikeouts | Innings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Griffin Jax | Tampa Bay Rays | 8-10 | 3.53 | 116 | 112.1 |
| Gavin Williams | Cleveland Guardians | 14-8 | 3.76 | 248 | 184.1 |