The Cleveland Guardians are one win away from the ALDS. Friday afternoon the Guardians earned a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series matchup. Shane Bieber was dominant and José Ramírez hit the game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. The new Wild Card Series is a best-of-three, so the Rays will play for their season in Game 2 on Saturday.
By way of reminder, all Wild Card Series games will be hosted by the higher seed, so Cleveland can clinch an ALDS berth at home at Progressive Field. The winner of this series will advance to take on the New York Yankees.
You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here, and here's the 2022 playoff bracket. Now, let's get to the important stuff for Game 2.
How to watch
Date: Saturday, Oct. 8 | Time: 12:07 p.m. ET
Location: Progressive Field (Cleveland, Ohio)
TV channel: ESPN2 | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Odds: TB -105; CLE -115; O/U: 5.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Starting pitchers: RHP Triston McKenzie (11-11, 2.96) vs. RHP Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 1.35 ERA)
Preview
Needless to say, Game 2 is a must-win for the Rays. Glasnow returned from Tommy John surgery last month (he faced the Guardians in his first game back) and has not thrown more than 64 pitches in a game. That ensures the bullpen will be involved. It is all hands on deck with the season on the line. Bieber pitching deep into Game 1 means ace setup men James Karinchak and Trevor Stephan are fully rested going into Game 2, and could perhaps get 4-5 outs each. The Rays have scored no more than one run 10 times in their last 17 games dating back to the regular season. That must to change if they intend to play beyond Saturday.
Prediction
Tampa's offense has struggled so much lately -- they finished 21st in runs per game during the regular season -- and Cleveland's pitching is set up so well for Game 2 that it's easy to go with the Guardians, but I'll go the other way with the Rays. Rays manager Kevin Cash will aggressively use his bullpen to keep the game in order, and I'll say shortstop Wander Franco provides the big blow with a late home run to force a Game 3.
Pick: Rays 3, Guardians 1
