Carlos Carrasco (8-5, 4.38 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (31-34) meet Nathan Karns (3-3, 3.67 ERA) and the Tampa Bay Rays (38-30) in the first of a three-game series at Progressive Field. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Jun. 19 and will air on SunSports, STO and MLB Net.
In his most recent outing, Carrasco pitched 5.2 innings, allowing three runs, striking out eight and walking one in a 5-4 victory over the Tigers. Michael Brantley (.306, 26 Rs, 4 HRs, 35 RBIs, 8 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one RBI. The Rays were unsuccessful to the White Sox 2-1 the last time Karns pitched. He went 6.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out eight and walking one. Logan Forsythe (.276, 27 Rs, 7 HRs, 31 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been doing well, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run.
Cleveland is a -169 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Indians are 20-23 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -1,013. Cleveland has been struggling as of late. In the last 10 games, Cleveland has only averaged 3.0 runs per game compared to the 4.1 they’ve averaged on the season. They have been very patient at the plate, leading the AL with an average of 3.8 walks per game. Transitioning to the pitching staff, they have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, leading the AL with 9.4 strikeouts per game.
On the other side, the Rays have a record of 19-16 when they are the underdog and are +715 overall with the money line. They have the lowest road ERA in the AL at 2.90. They also average just 7.2 hits allowed per road game, best in the AL.
The Indians will take on a right-hander (Karns) in this game and have a 20-19 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Rays will be the right-hander Carrasco. They sport a 24-22 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rays are 2-2 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Indians are 1-2 in such matchups.
The Tampa Bay batters brought in a solid 12 hits last game. Cleveland has a record of 2-13 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Indians and the Rays both have records of 25-5.
Ranking 24th, Tampa Bay sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 256 this season. Cleveland ranks in the bottom half at 18th with 269.
Cleveland ranks at the top of the league when it comes to walks with 243 this season. Tampa Bay ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 184.
The Indians are 24-15 when they hit at least one home run. The Rays perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 26-16 record.
