Guardians Vs. Rays Series Preview: Can The Guardians End Their Road Trip With Winning Record?

The Guardians will play the Rays this weekend in a three game series.

Author:
Tommy Wild
Jul 29, 2022 2:36 PM EDT

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The Guardians open a three-game series Friday night with the Rays down in Tampa before they head home. This will be the first time the Rays see Cleveland as the Guardians and have a chance to make a great first impression with the new name.

The Rays currently sit third in the stacked American League East with a record of 53-and-46. However, they have gone 4-6 in their last ten games. The Guardians on the other hand have gone 6-4 and have seen the offense has looked much better.

Pitching Matchups

Friday: Shane Bieber vs. Jeffrey Springs - 7:10 pm EST

Saturday: Zach Plesac vs. Corey Kluber - 1:10 pm EST

Sunday: TBD vs. Shane McClanahan - 1:40 pm EST

What To Watch For

Can The Guardians End Road Trip Over .500?

The first stop on the Guardians' trip was to Chicago where they split a four-game series with the White Sox. Then they went over to Boston where they also split the series. They have three more games before heading home and it would be huge if they could end this stretch with a winning record.

They have a good chance of doing so too.

The Rays are always a good team and have a lot of talent but have not been playing to their expectations this season. A lot of that has to do with the number of injuries they have. The Guardians could look to take advantage of this and get a big series win on the road.

Corey Kluber vs. Cleveland

The Guardians are set to face their former ace Corey Kluber for the first time since he was traded in 2020. Kluber is having a solid year with a 3.91 ERA. Cleveland fans know what he is capable of and it will be fun to watch him pitch against the team.

Another Challenge For The Outfielders

Fenway Park is arguably one of the toughest outfields to play in because of how unique the dimensions are. Steven Kwan learned this the hard way by displaying a few balls of the Green Monster. The Rays' Tropicana Field presents a challenge only in a different way.

The Trop was never designed to primarily be a baseball-only venue. Because of this, it has an ugly white roof that blends right in with white baseballs. The outfielders are going to have to take a few extra fly balls to get used to this new challenge.

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