Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction – 8/27/2025
The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians have split the first two games of their three-game series from Cleveland. They will face off in the rubber match on Wednesday afternoon in an important game for these teams that are both just below .500 for the year. One team will get a much-needed momentum boost with a win today. Who will it be? Continue reading to get my Rays vs Guardians prediction.
Our Rays vs Guardians Pick
- Pick: Tampa Bay Rays moneyline
- Confidence: 4/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians
- Date & Time: Wednesday, August 27, 2025, 1:10 p.m. ET
- Starting Pitchers: Drew Rasmussen (10-5, 2.62 ERA) vs Slade Cecconi (5-6, 4.41 ERA)
- Stadium: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
- Broadcast: MLB Network
Key Storylines
Pitching matchup
The Rays send Drew Rasmussen to the mound today. Rasmussen is enjoying a stellar season with a 2.62 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 123.2 innings. His opponent will be Slade Cecconi of the Guardians. Cecconi has struggled compared to Rasmussen with a 4.41 ERA. He has gone six straight starts without picking up a win and Cleveland has dropped each of the last three games he has started.
Key Players
- Tampa Bay Offense: The entire Rays offense will be their key in today’s game. Tampa Bay failed to score against the Guardians on Tuesday and will need several key bats to step up to do better in this contest.
- Brayan Rocchio: The hot streak of Brayan Rocchio continued with an RBI single on Tuesday night. Cleveland needs all the help it can get from Rocchio to help their Wild Card chances.
Recent team streaks
- The Guardians snapped a six-game losing streak in their last outing with a 3-0 win. Cleveland is a game below .500 for the season.
- Tampa had a three-game winning streak snapped in last night’s loss.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Junior Caminero | Over 0.5 Home Runs |
| Drew Rasmussen | Over 5.5 Strikeouts |
| Brayan Rocchio | Under 1.5 Total Bases |
Betting Trends & H2H
- The season series between the Rays and Guardians is tied 1-1 coming into today’s action.
- The over/under is 1-1 in games played between these teams this year.
- Cleveland is 32-32 at home for the season after Tuesday’s win.
- Tampa has dropped to 30-35 on the road.
Rays vs Guardians Model Projection
Score Projection: Rays 5 – Guardians 3
Win Probability: Rays 57%, Guardians 43%
Final Thoughts
The Rays hold a clear advantage in starting pitching going into this contest. Tampa should be able to get out to an early lead behind Rasmussen’s work on the mound and I think they will do enough to hold onto that lead down the stretch. My best bet for this contest is for the Rays to get a win on the road and for the Guardians to suffer a devastating loss in the AL Wild Card chase.
