Rasmussen and Rays Set to Unleash Shocking Upset Against Guardians—What You Need to Know

Ever had one of those days where the baseball gods just don’t cut you any slack? Yeah, that was me yesterday—especially when I put my faith in Pete Alonso, thinking history would repeat itself against Jesus Luzardo. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. Alonso, the unexpected hammer-wielder, flipped the script in ways that left me eating my words. So, here we are today, hoping to flip the fortune again as the Tampa Bay Rays square off against the Cleveland Guardians. Both teams have been dancing around the .500 mark like it’s a hot potato, but with the Rays’ resilient bullpen and Drew Rasmussen’s steady arm, and the Guardians desperate to find some offensive spark behind Slade Cecconi, today promises more than just a baseball game—it’s a battle of grit, strategy, and maybe a little redemption. The question is—who’s really got the edge when history has a funny way of mocking predictions? Let’s dive in. LEARN MORE.

Rays vs. Guardians, 1:10 ET

It was not a good day yesterday on the diamond for me. The most frustrating play that I had was my Pete Alonso look. He was absolutely terrible against Jesus Luzardo in his career before yesterday. Then, of course, when I tried to jump on the trend, Alonso ended up dropping the hammer and had his best game ever against him. He might’ve actually gotten more hits against Luzardo yesterday than he had in his previous 25 at-bats. Let’s reverse the fortune today as the Rays take on the Guardians.

The Rays have basically spent the entire season hovering around the .500 mark. It isn’t much of a surprise as this is where most expected them to be this year. Perhaps some even had them ranked lower. I’ve given much respect for the club as they’ve been the type that finds ways to win despite the constant turnover and lack of desire to pay talented players. Tamap Bay isn’t devoid of talent, but they have traded away their best player last year, and their youngest great player is now awaiting jail. The Rays are 3-2 over their past five games, and their offense has scored at least four runs in four of the past five games. Looking to get them another win for the Rays is Drew Rasmussen. For the season Rasmussen has been 10-5 with a 2.62 ERA, and a 0.99 WHIP. He has tossed 123.2 innings this season with 25 starts, so while he doesn’t rank for the strong numbers he has produced, he has accumulated a lot of innings. Rasmussen has thrown three straight quality starts, and only allowed three earned runs over 23.1 innings this month. The Guardians have only had nine at-bats as a team against Rasmussen and have just two hits. 

The Guardians are similar to the Rays in that they are also hovering around the .500 mark for the year. They were six games above .500 on August 14th, and now they are a game below after yesterday’s win. Cleveland has gone 2-9 over their last 11 games. At that point, a couple of weeks ago, the team was ready for battle and searching for a playoff spot. It looks a lot less likely at the moment, but they aren’t out of it altogether. In yesterday’s win, the Guardians finally broke out their bats, scoring a whopping three runs which is three more than they scored in their previous three games combined. In fact over the past seven games, the Guardians have scored 13 runs. Looking for some run support today is Slade Cecconi. For the season, Cecconi is 5-6 with a 4.41 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. This is probably not an ideal situation for Cecconi as he has been brutal at home this season with an ERA two full runs higher at home than on the road. Not all of his home starts have been bad, but when they are bad, they are really bad. He only has eight starts at home this season, and only three of them have been quality starts. He has allowed five or more earned in three of them. Overall, the Rays have never faced Cecconi.

Looking at the total, I started with the over. The Rays have been good on offense most of the past few games. However, the Guardians have been terrible offensively. If we want the under, it is a risky 7.5 runs. Cecconi could allow two runs or he could allow five. That’s where I got my play for today, to take the Rays at -135. It makes more sense to play them to win the game than the total here. Rasmussen is one of the guys you want to back and I think we get a good opportunity here.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024