Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Indians MLB Picks, Odds, Predictions 7/24/2021

The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians meet Saturday in MLB action at Progressive Field. The Rays look to build on their four-game winning streak. The Indians look for a win after losing four of their last five games.

The Tampa Bay Rays have scored 20 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in four straight games. The Rays have won six straight games when scoring four or more runs. Randy Arozarena leads the Rays with 88 hits and 46 RBI while Austin Meadows and Joey Wendle have combined for 157 hits and 102 RBI. Drew Rasmussen gets the ball, and he is 0-1 with a 4.55 ERA and 42 strikeouts this season. Rasmussen is 0-0 with a 21.60 ERA and two strikeouts in his career against the Indians.

The Cleveland Indians have scored 14 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in four of their last six games. The Indians have lost three of their last five games when scoring four or more runs. Amed Rosario leads the Indians with 85 hits and 27 RBI while Cesar Hernandez and Jose Ramirez have combined for 159 hits and 95 RBI. J.C. Mejia gets the ball, and he is 1-5 with a 7.53 ERA and 35 strikeouts this season. This will be Mejia’s second career game against the Rays.

The Rays are 4-1 in their last 5 road games and 19-7 in their last 26 Saturday games. The Indians are 5-2 in their last 7 Saturday games and 3-7 in their last 10 home games. The over is 5-2 in Rays last 7 overall. The over is 7-2-1 in Indians last 10 Saturday games. The Rays are 6-1 in the last 7 meetings in Cleveland and 14-2 in the last 16 meetings.

I’m not running to the window to back Drew Rasmussen on the mound, but it’s not like J.C. Mejia has lit the world on fire this season. The bottom line is the Indians aren’t playing well and it often feels like this season is slipping away. The Rays are getting stronger and have a hot offense leading the charge. It’s Rays or pass for me.