In the divisional round, Cleveland needed a comeback and the Rays just needed a broom.
Regardless, both are in the ALCS.
Let’s check out the odds for this year’s ALCS matchup at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Oct. 15.
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Series Winner
Game 1 — CLE 7, TB 3
Spread: Rays -1.5 (CLE covers)
O/U: 6.5 (Over hits)
Game 2 — CLE 1, TB 3
Spread: Rays -1.5 (TB covers)
O/U: 7 (Under hits)
Game 3 — CLE 3, TB 2
Spread: Guardians -1.5 (TB covers)
O/U: 6.5 (Under hits)
Game 4 — TB @ CLE (Oct. 16)
Spread: Rays -1.5
Moneyline: Rays -110, Guardians -110
O/U: 6.5
Matchup: Nick Martinez (TB) vs. TBD
Here’s what to know about the Guardians-Rays series odds:
AL Championship Series: The Guardians lead 2-1.
How They Got Here: Tampa Bay had a bye in the wild-card round and then swept the rival Yankees in the divisional round, 3-0. Cleveland also had a wild-card bye, but fell down 0-2 to the White Sox before storming back to win the final three games of that ALDS series.
Game 1: All of a sudden, the Guardians can’t lose. After falling behind 0-2 in its ALDS catchup with the White Sox, Cleveland won three straight over Chicago, and then, in Game 1 of the ALCS, took down Tampa Bay in its home stadium. After the Rays scored two in the first inning, Cleveland answered with seven runs between the sixth and ninth innings.
Game 2: A two-out fielding error by Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez helped the Rays score three runs in the bottom of the fourth, and that was all she wrote. The Rays didn’t score again, but the Guardians also mustered just a single run in the seventh.
Game 3: The Guardians got a split in Tampa Bay and then protected their home field in Game 3, earning a 3-2 win. After the Rays took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth, a Petey Halpin 2-run homer in the bottom of the fifth was the difference maker for Cleveland.
Playoff History: Tampa Bay hadn’t made the playoffs since 2023, and hadn’t won a playoff series since 2020, when it went all the way to the World Series, falling to the Dodgers in six games. The last time the Rays made the World Series was in 2008, when they lost to the Phillies in five games. As for the Guardians, they made it to the Fall Classic in 2016, falling to the Cubs in seven games. The Cleveland franchise also made the World Series in 1997, 1995, 1954, 1948 and 1920. It won in ‘48 and ’20.