Robbie Ray Will Coast Against Guardians

Guardians vs. Giants, 9:45 ET

There are surprises every season with teams. I guess this is why they play the games. If the favorite won every time, sports betting wouldn't be a thing, but sports in general wouldn't be enjoyable. Predicting who will improve year to year is always a challenge for me, which is why I very rarely do baseball futures. The season is so long and so much can change, that's why I like the day-to-day games much more. Tonight, I'm getting a game between the Guardians and the Giants that I hope to accurately predict.

The Guardians are a team that I expected more out of this season. Cleveland is just .500 for the season, and they are below average on the road. The team has done well enough to this point, but they are only third in the division. Somehow Detroit has started running away with the division so if Cleveland wants to get anything done, they need to find a way to start getting it going soon. There is still over 50% of the season remaining, so there is no need to press the panic button or anything, but with the Royals and Twins also in the division, sooner is better than later. Tonight, the Guardians send out Slade Cecconi to the hill in hopes of grabbing a win as underdogs in the game. Cecconi is just 1-3 for the season with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. He has been better on the road than he has at home this year, which is encouraging here. He has only made five total starts, three of them on the road. In all three road outings, he has gone at least five innings and allowed no more than three earned runs. He has only had nine at-bats against him from the Giants roster. I actually expected more experience, considering Cecconi was on the Diamondbacks for two years. 

Jun 10, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi (44) reacts after ending the fourth inning with a strikeout in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

The Giants are a team I expected significantly less for the season than they have accomplished already. San Francisco is 41-31 for the year and currently in second place in the NL West. They have been consistent and surprising for most of the year. The offense has been better than expected, and now they add Rafael Devers to their roster. This gives them a great combination for their lineup, and they could use a jolt as they are hitting just .232 for the year. The pitching staff has been better than I thought it would be as well. Some of that can be attributed to today's starter, Robbie Ray. Ray has been great this season, going 8-1 for the year with a 2.55 ERA (11th in the league), and the 1.12 WHIP which is 24th. He has been very good at home this season, allowing just 10 earned runs in 45 innings. After turning in eight straight quality starts, Ray went just four innings in his last start against the Rockies, allowing two earned runs and four runs overall. Guardians haven't hit Ray well in their careers going just 10-for-54 against him.

This is a matchup that I feel like we could see being a bit more of a pitching duel. There are times when some teams take a while to gel after a roster shakeup, but this trade should have a pretty immediate impact for the Giants. There is no question about who is better - the Giants. They also have the better pitcher. I think we get some good value on the run line in this one. Back the Giants on the run line as I expect Ray to regain the quality start form. 

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