Cleveland Guardians at Tampa Bay Rays

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
CLE	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
TB	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	—	3	9	0

Tanner Bibee (4-9, 3.86) gets the ball for Cleveland on Saturday, and the record undersells him a bit — he struck out 5 over 6 innings in a win against the Twins on July 20. He's opposite Nick Martinez, who's quietly been the best story in the Rays' rotation all year at 9-2 with a 2.59 ERA, with first pitch set for 6:10 PM ET at Tropicana Field.

Show fees

FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Guardians(54-50)

LLWWL

0

+1.5-182+108o7.5-115

Rays(59-43)

LWWWL

3

-1.5+178-111u7.5+115

Best BetRays -119

Pregame

Martinez has been Tampa's most reliable arm all year at 9-2 with a 2.59 ERA, and he's doing it at home, where the Rays are 35-15 — the best mark in the American League. Cleveland is walking in on a two-game skid with an offense that runs hot and cold. Back the Rays to take care of business at Tropicana Field.

Martinez needed just 82 pitches to get through 6 innings against Toronto his last time out, and that kind of efficiency matters for a Tampa Bay bullpen that's already down Manuel Rodriguez, Edwin Uceta and Jonathan Heasley to long-term injury. Cleveland's pen has its own hole, with Tim Herrin still working back from an elbow issue in Triple-A.

Tanner Bibee

(4-11)·3.85 ERA

Jul 20 vs Twins

W

6.0IP

2ER

5K

1BB

95P

07/25 Lineup

Nick Martinez

(11-3)·2.65 ERA

Jul 20 @ Blue Jays

W

6.0IP

1ER

0K

1BB

82P

07/25 Lineup

None of that has slowed Tampa Bay down. The Rays own the best home record in the American League and just took 3 of 4 from the Blue Jays on the road, outscoring Toronto by a combined 22 runs during the winning stretch and pushing their AL East lead to 2.5 games.

Cleveland Guardians

(54-50)

Jul 23Lvs Twins1-3

Jul 22Lvs Twins6-10

Jul 21Wvs Twins5-2

Jul 20Wvs Twins13-4

Jul 19Lvs Pirates1-7

Tampa Bay Rays

(59-43)

Jul 23L@ Blue Jays1-3

Jul 22W@ Blue Jays4-2

Jul 21W@ Blue Jays12-2

Jul 20W@ Blue Jays7-1

Jul 19L@ Red Sox1-6

Cleveland's form is a mixed bag by comparison. The Guardians dropped 3 of their last 5, including a 1-3 finale loss to Minnesota, but Chase DeLauter and Brayan Rocchio have kept the offense afloat enough to hold onto a wild card spot and the AL Central lead. This series is as much about proving that form on the road as it is about the standings.

Cleveland Guardians

(2)

• 10-Day-ILAngel Martinez (LF) — Martinez (foot) started in left field and went 1-for-4 with a walk for Double-A Akron on Wednesday.07/23
• 15-Day-ILTim Herrin (RP) — Herrin (elbow) struck out three batters in a scoreless inning for Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.07/19

Tampa Bay Rays

(9)

• Day-To-DayTaylor Walls (SS) — Walls (fingers) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Toronto.07/23
• 10-Day-ILJake Fraley (RF) — Fraley (groin) was pulled off his rehab assignment Sunday at Triple-A Durham after feeling something in the area of his hernia surgery, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.07/12
• 15-Day-ILSteven Matz (SP) — Matz (ankle) will embark on a rehab assignment Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILManuel Rodriguez (RP) — Rodriguez (elbow) began a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Thursday, giving up a solo home run and striking out three in one inning.07/24
• 60-Day-ILGavin Lux (LF) — Lux (shoulder) was pulled off his rehab assignment earlier this week, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILSteven Wilson (RP) — Wilson (back) has been sent to the rookie-level Florida Complex League to begin a rehab assignment.07/10
• 60-Day-ILEdwin Uceta (RP) — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Uceta has yet to resume throwing and will meet with a doctor to have his nagging right shoulder injury examined, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILJonathan Heasley (RP) — Heasley was returned to the major-league roster and placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow stress reaction.06/08
• 60-Day-ILRyan Pepiot (SP) — Pepiot will undergo surgery on his right hip May 13 and miss the rest of the 2026 season, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.05/08

The injury report cuts both ways. Cleveland is missing Angel Martinez, who's rehabbing a foot injury in Double-A, while Tampa Bay's list runs longer and deeper — Taylor Walls day-to-day, Jake Fraley and Gavin Lux both out in the outfield, and a bullpen picking up the pieces around several long-term absences. A team with the Rays' offense and rotation depth can survive that; whether it costs them late in a close one is the real question this weekend.