Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 7/26/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Sunday, July 26, 2026

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: MLB.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Cleveland (+150) Tampa Bay (-182)

The Tampa Bay Rays (60-43) will play the Cleveland Guardians (54-51) at Tropicana Field on Sunday. The line on this contest has Cleveland at +150 while Tampa Bay is sitting at -182. The total is set at 8.5. The pitchers who are expected to start are Parker Messick and Drew Rasmussen.

Cleveland has a slugging % of .375 and have been rung up 876 times, while taking a walk on 378 occasions. They have earned 402 runs batted in in addition to 807 hits this season, while their batting average is at .232. The Guardians have tallied 161 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 104 balls out of the stadium. They have earned 420 runs scored while having a team OBP of .312. As a team, the Cleveland Guardians are putting up 4.0 runs per game, which ranks them 29th in the league.

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Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.77 and the pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.27. Guardians pitchers have yielded 119 long balls and 434 total runs (9th in the league). Cleveland has relinquished 838 base hits (8.1 per 9 innings) and 391 earned runs. The Guardians have compiled a team earned run average of 3.77 on the year (8th in the league), and their staff has rung up 960 batters. They have walked 347 opposing hitters and their FIP is 3.92 as a unit this year.

Guardians pitchers have entered the game with opponents on base 105 times in addition to having 130 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have racked up 86 holds over the course of the season (1st in MLB). The Guardians bullpen have a save percentage of 76.7% and have entered the game in 130 save situations. They have recorded 33 saves on the year and have blown 10 out of their 43 save opportunities. The relievers have inherited 161 runners on the campaign and 25.5% of those players ended up scoring. The Guardians have dispatched 357 relief pitchers to the hill on the campaign.

The Guardians have converted 69.5% of balls hit into play into outs in their 8,394 innings, which has them sitting 19th in pro baseball. The Cleveland Guardians have earned 2,798 putouts over the course of the season, as well as 831 assists and 57 errors. Their fielding rate sits at .985 which ranks 19th in the majors, and they have turned 72 double plays.

Messick has taken the mound for 156 innings and has earned 154 punch outs in his MLB career. His ERA is 2.70 (47 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.125. He has conceded 134 hits (7.7 hits per nine innings) and has 42 walks. Messick (11-6 career record) sits with a FIP of 2.66 while he has gone up against 632 hitters in the majors.

The Rays hold a team slugging percentage of .405 and they earn 4.56 runs per game (13th in the league). They have recorded 151 two-baggers, while taking a walk 353 times as well as earning 470 runs. Tampa Bay has tallied 105 HRs over the course of the season and 445 RBIs. They have struck out on 740 occasions (30th in the league) and have earned 899 base hits. The Tampa Bay Rays have tallied a team on-base percentage of .334 and a batting average of .261 this year.

The Rays are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.173 in addition to having a FIP of 4.16 as a team this season. They are currently ranked 6th in the league as a staff in total hits conceded with 800. The Tampa Bay pitching staff have conceded 432 runs so far this season while having an ERA of 3.83 (389 earned runs relinquished). Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.10 (821 strikeouts against 273 bases on balls). They have conceded 129 HR's and they yield 4.25 runs per 9 innings (9th in baseball).

With 130 save situations, the Rays have recorded 77 holds and 14 blown saves. Tampa Bay has called on bullpen pitchers to step onto the mound in 53 save opportunities and they have tallied 39 saves. Tampa Bay bullpen pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 29.4% out of 119 inherited runners. Their relievers have come in 96 times in high leverage situations and also on 82 occasions with runners on base. They rank 6th in baseball holding a save percentage of 73.6%, and they have sent 323 bullpen pitchers to the hill over the course of the season.

In 8,235 innings played, the Rays have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 71.9% (2nd in MLB). The Tampa Bay Rays have gotten 69 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .983 (23rd in baseball). The Rays have recorded 829 assists, 62 errors and are sitting with 2,745 putouts so far this year.

In his MLB career, Rasmussen has given up 456 base hits and he has 531 strikeouts in 564 innings. Rasmussen (38-22 career mark) has a 2.97 ERA while allowing 7.3 hits per nine innings. He has allowed 186 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.051 and a FIP of 2.9. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.88 and he has faced 2,255 batters in his career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Cleveland (+150)

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