In today’s MLB betting guide, the Detroit Tigers look to put a difficult week behind them with a visit to the Cleveland Guardians, a team they dismantled last week in four consecutive games. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays go head-to-head for the fourth and final time before the MLB All-Star break, with one game separating the two teams for second place in the AL East.
Detroit Tigers (+205) vs Cleveland Guardians (-245)
The Tigers missed a prime opportunity to climb the standings by losing three of four games to the Kansas City Royals this week. The poor start to the week put two wins between them and last place, and they’ll have four days to get back on track before the two-day break. Elvin Rodriguez gets his fifth start and sixth appearance tonight and is hoping for a better outcome after losing two straight to the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. He looked sharp against Cleveland in May, pitching four scoreless innings and striking out four batters.
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After defeating the Yankees to avoid a series sweep, the Guardians took to the road and suffered a major collapse. After losing six of seven, they saw first place inch further away as the Minnesota Twins sit six games ahead and are nearing the 50-game win plateau. After splitting a four-game series with the Chicago White Sox, they now must take down a team that swept them one week ago. Triston McKenzie takes the mound and is looking for a third consecutive win after allowing just four hits in his last 13 innings pitched. As good as McKenzie has looked, the Tigers have the Guardians number and will continue that dominance to end this week.
Boston Red Sox (+110) vs Tampa Bay Rays (-130)
In the two weeks leading up to the All-Star break, the Red Sox played the Rays and Yankees seven times each. While it’s nearly impossible to catch up to the 62-win Yankees, the Rays and Red Sox continue to duel it out for second place, with the Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles trailing closely behind. Kutter Crawford makes his fourth start in 13 appearances and has pitched well of late, winning against the Rays in his last meeting against them and striking out eight in 5.1 innings. His ERA (earned run average) improved over the last seven games (3.13), and he’s benefitting from some solid defensive play behind him.
The Rays can put a stamp on their place in the standings with a win and series sweep tonight, as they’ll end their week with three games against the Orioles. With three games separating second place from last, every win matters this month. Drew Rasmussen will take on the assignment and try for his sixth win of the season. He’s allowed nine hits in his last 8.2 innings pitched, striking out eight and allowing just one run. The Rays are the favourites for tonight and have looked like the better team in this series, but don’t count Boston out of it. Take them to avoid the series sweep, thanks to a solid pitching effort from their bullpen.
Odds via FanDuel.
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