Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians MLB Picks 5/23/2019

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Progressive Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Blake Snell vs. Adam Plutko

Carlos Santana and the Cleveland Indians (25-22, 2nd in AL Central) play the Tampa Bay Rays (27-18, 2nd in AL East) at Progressive Field on Thursday, May 23, 2019. The Indians open this matchup at +140 while the Rays are coming in at -150. The total is set at 8.

The Rays have been great for baseball wagerers, having gone 27-18-0 SU. The Indians cover 53.2% of the time, going 25-22-0 straight up. The Rays have been a strong choice for baseball bettors as a favorite, going 22-15-0 SU. Cleveland is covering 57.1% of the time as an underdog, having gone 4-3-0 straight up.

Valuable Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Rays have been a rough Over pick for over/under wagerers, having gone 19-24-2.

Tampa Bay is covering 68.2% of the time as the visitor, having gone 15-7-0 straight up.

Important Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Indians cover 58.3% of the time at Progressive Field, going 14-10-0 SU.

The Indians have been a rough Over pick for over/under wagerers, having gone 18-27-2.

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

05/21/19 3B Yandy Diaz Hand is questionable Wednesday vs Los Angeles Dodgers
05/17/19 C Anthony Bemboom Knee 10-day IL (05/15)
05/11/19 P Tyler Glasnow Forearm 10-day IL (05/11)
05/10/19 C Mike Zunino Quad 10-day IL (05/09)
05/08/19 C Michael Perez Oblique 10-day IL (05/08)
04/26/19 2B Joey Wendle Wrist 10-day IL (04/25)
03/30/19 P Anthony Banda Elbow 10-day IL (03/28)
03/28/19 P Jose De Leon Elbow 60-day IL (03/28)
03/28/19 3B Matt Duffy Hamstring 60-day IL (03/25)

Key Cleveland Indians Injuries

05/14/19 CF Tyler Naquin Calf 10-day IL (05/14)
05/01/19 P Corey Kluber Forearm 10-day IL (05/03)
04/09/19 P Mike Clevinger Back 10-day IL (04/09)
03/27/19 CF Bradley Zimmer Shoulder 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Danny Salazar Shoulder 60-day IL (03/24)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rays have a 27-18 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Blake Snell has a 3-4 record with an earned run average of 3.31 and a WHIP of 1.00 this season. He has 71 strikeouts over his 49 innings pitched and he's given up 37 hits. He's allowed 6.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.57. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.58 and they have given up 181 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .229 against the bullpen and they've struck out 217 hitters and walked 78 batters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 7.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.05. The Rays pitchers collectively have given up 324 base hits and 139 earned runs. They have allowed 40 home runs this season, ranking them 30th in the league. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 132 batters and struck out 452. They have walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.11 and their FIP as a unit is 3.21.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Tampa Bay is hitting .251, good for 12th in the league. The Rays hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Brandon Lowe is hitting .283 with an on-base percentage of .333. He has 43 hits this season in 152 at bats with 27 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .553 and an OPS+ of 136. Tommy Pham is hitting .278 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .391. He has totaled 47 hits and he has driven in 19 men in 169 at bats. His OPS+ is 123 while his slugging percentage is at .420. The Rays have 389 hits, including 81 doubles and 55 home runs. Tampa Bay has walked 165 times so far this season and they have struck out 431 times as a unit. They have left 330 men on base and have a team OPS of .756. They score 4.4 runs per contest and have scored a total of 198 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Cleveland has a 25-22 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 1.50, Adam Plutko has a 1-0 record and a 0.50 WHIP. He has 4 strikeouts over the 6 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 2 hits. He's allowing 1.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.92. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.02 and they have given up 125 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .231 against the Indians bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 138 batters and walked 43 opposing hitters. As a team, Cleveland allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.6 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.61. The Indians pitchers as a team have surrendered 352 base knocks and 165 earned runs this season. They have given up 55 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Cleveland as a staff has walked 136 hitters and struck out 439 batters. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.19 while their FIP as a staff is 3.83.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .223, good for 25th in the league. The Indians hold a .365 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 27th in MLB with 7.2 hits per contest. Carlos Santana comes into this matchup batting .290 with an OBP of .404. He has 47 hits this year along with 28 RBI in 162 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .488 with an OPS+ of 134. Francisco Lindor is hitting .286 this season and he has an OBP of .331. He has collected 32 hits in 112 at bats while driving in 15 runs. He has an OPS+ of 117 and a slugging percentage of .509. The Indians as a unit have 339 base hits, including 65 doubles and 50 homers. Cleveland has walked 179 times this year and they have struck out on 419 occasions. They have had 310 men left on base and have an OPS of .674. They have scored 3.96 runs per game and totaled 186 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Rays/Indians MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Rays -150

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn