The Cleveland Guardians return home to Progressive Field on Monday night carrying a 15-14 record and some frustration from a series loss in Toronto. The Tampa Bay Rays are coming to town, and history says it’s a matchup that tends to favor Cleveland.
“The Guardians went 5-2 against the Rays last year. Cleveland leads, 112-85, overall,” Paul Hoynes wrote.
That kind of historical dominance does not guarantee anything in a given three-game series, but it does speak to a sustained advantage that Cleveland has built over the Rays across many years of competition.
The timing of this series could not be more important. Cleveland has lost six of its last eleven games and needs to find its footing heading into a stretch that will define the early part of this season. Coming home to Progressive Field after a difficult road trip against a team they have traditionally handled well is exactly the kind of setup the Guardians need right now.
The pitching matchups are encouraging for Cleveland. Parker Messick opens the series Monday night. Messick is 3-0 with a 1.76 ERA and has been one of the best stories in all of baseball through the first month of the season. He also went 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA against the Rays last year specifically, which adds another layer of confidence heading into Monday’s start. Tanner Bibee follows on Tuesday, and then Gavin Williams closes the series on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay just completed a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins and has won 11 of its last 15 games, entering the series at 16-11. They are a team trending in the right direction at exactly the wrong time for Cleveland.
The Guardians are off Thursday before beginning a seven-game road trip Friday night with three games against the Oakland Athletics in Sacramento. That makes this three-game home series against Tampa Bay even more critical. Winning at home before heading back out on the road is the kind of momentum builder this team desperately needs.
History is on Cleveland’s side this week. Now they just have to go out and use it.
NEXT: Slade Cecconi Gets Honest About His Tough Outing Against Toronto
