Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians Forecast, 8/25/2025 MLB Predictions, Top Bets & Odds

Matchup: Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians

Date: Monday, August 25, 2025

Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

Broadcast: CLEGuardians.TV

Betting Odds: Tampa Bay (+110) vs Cleveland (-130)

The Tampa Bay Rays (61-67) are set to face the Cleveland Guardians (64-62) at Progressive Field this Monday. Current betting odds place the Rays at +110 and the Guardians at -130, with the over/under line set at 8.5 runs. Starting pitchers for this matchup will be Shane Baz and Tanner Bibee.

This season, the Rays have a slugging percentage of .396, striking out 1,100 times against 373 walks. They have amassed 536 RBIs and 1,079 hits, resulting in a batting average of .250. Tampa Bay has recorded 190 doubles and hit 139 home runs. Overall, they have scored 567 runs with an on-base percentage of .313. The Rays average 4.4 runs per game, positioning them 14th in MLB standings.

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The Rays have a strikeout-to-walk (K/BB) ratio of 3.00 and their pitching staff boasts a WHIP of 1.22. They’ve allowed 174 home runs and 543 runs scored, ranking 14th in the league. The pitching staff has given up 1,020 hits, averaging 8.1 hits allowed per nine innings, and 505 of those runs are earned. Tampa Bay’s ERA stands at 4.01, ranking 16th in MLB, while the pitchers have struck out 1,095 batters with 365 walks. Their FIP is 4.29 for the season.

The bullpen has entered games with inherited runners 90 times and has made 120 high-leverage appearances, recording 69 holds (17th in MLB). Tampa Bay’s save percentage stands at 57.1%, with 28 saves registered against 21 blown opportunities out of 49 tries. This season, relievers have inherited 131 base runners, with 33.6% scoring. A total of 403 relief pitchers have been utilized so far.

Fielding-wise, the Rays have converted 70.7% of balls in play into outs over 10,194 innings, ranking them 9th in professional baseball. They have notched 3,398 putouts, 1,141 assists, and committed 61 errors, resulting in a .987 fielding percentage (13th in MLB). They’ve turned 122 double plays as well.

Shane Baz has pitched for 257 innings, achieving 260 strikeouts in his MLB career with a 4.37 ERA (yielding 125 earned runs). His WHIP is 1.236, having permitted 227 hits (averaging 7.9 hits per 9 innings) along with 91 walks. With a career record of 15-15, Baz maintains a FIP of 4.31 after facing 1,079 opposing batters during his tenure.

On the other hand, the Cleveland Guardians have amassed 132 home runs and 479 RBIs this season. They also accumulated 185 doubles and received 397 walks, totaling 498 runs. The team’s on-base percentage is .299, with a batting average of .227. Cleveland’s slugging percentage sits at .374, and they average 3.95 runs per game, ranking 26th overall. They’ve struck out 1,027 times (18th in MLB) and hit 938 base knocks.

The Guardians’ pitching staff carries a WHIP of 1.309 and a team FIP of 4.09 for the season. They have a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 8.50 (1,057 strikeouts vs. 445 walks). They rank 10th in the league for total hits allowed (1,024) and have surrendered 134 home runs, conceding 4.27 runs per 9 innings (12th in MLB). The ERA sits at 3.87 with 532 total runs allowed throughout the season.

Cleveland’s bullpen has been called upon for 54 save situations, successfully converting 37 saves, ranking 6th with a save percentage of 68.5%. The team has utilized 423 relievers this year. Their relief corps has made 148 high-leverage entries and faced runners on base 114 times, inheriting 160 base runners while allowing 33.8% to score. They have 89 holds alongside 17 blown saves in 146 save situations.

Defensively, the Guardians have recorded 93 double plays and maintain a fielding percentage of .981 (28th in MLB). So far, they have 1,027 assists, 84 errors, and achieved 3,366 putouts over 10,098 innings, resulting in a defensive efficiency of 69.5% (19th in baseball).

Tanner Bibee has allowed 412 hits and accumulated 457 strikeouts over 457 innings pitched in his MLB career. With a 31-21 record, he has an ERA of 3.68, permitting 8.1 hits per nine innings. He has given up a total of 187 earned runs, holds a WHIP of 1.192, and his FIP is at 3.6. Bibee’s strikeout-to-walk ratio stands at 3.44, having faced 1,899 batters throughout his professional career.

Who will emerge victorious in tonight’s MLB face-off against the spread or moneyline?

Prediction by Josh Schonwald: Bet on Cleveland (-130)

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