A Total Play for G2 in Rays vs. Guardians

Rays vs. Guardians

Well, I’ve put myself in a bit of a hole here with a loss on the Rays in the first game and a bet on the series for the Rays to win. That doesn’t mean that we can’t capture this game, though. It also doesn’t mean this is a losing series. Playoff baseball is tough. One swing can change everything, as we saw in Game 1 of this series.

Tyler Glasnow is pitching for the Rays. That would have meant a guaranteed quality start or some dominance a few years ago. He still is pitching rather well for the Rays considering he just returned from the injured list recently. How much can they rely on him in high-pressure, high-stress innings that are these playoffs? This is a short series. We only get three games here (at most) and you don’t want to rely on the bullpen in games like this. So, will we see him go more than five frames? I somewhat doubt it. Considering he has only pitched 6.2 innings this season, it seems a bit far-fetched to believe he will be unleashed here. Though, one reason to think it could happen is that when he did his rehab stint, he pitched seven innings in his last start. There is a big difference between the minors and playoff baseball, though. He did start against Cleveland in one of his two starts – he went three innings and allowed a solo home run.

Triston McKenzie gets the ball in game two with a one-game lead. All he needs to do is negate Glasnow and give the Guardians a chance to win and advance to the next round. Aside from his win-loss record, McKenzie’s statistics and the season was superb. He was able to throw to a 2.98 ERA and was in the top-20 for ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP. He absolutely deserves this start and had a spectacular campaign that helped Cleveland get to where they are now. McKenzie pitched a great game against the Rays recently, going six innings, allowing just three hits, and one earned run. That was a 2-1 win for the Guardians at home in 10 innings.

Against my better judgment, I took the Rays instead of the under. I thought it was a better likelihood and more critical for them to grab that game. Do I think the under hits again today, I kind of do. I think both pitchers and staffs can keep these soft-hitting offenses at bay. I’m going to play the under 3 through five at a juiced up -125. I think the Rays extend the series, but I already have enough invested personally.

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