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WED · SEP 9, 2026
SEP 9
FinalFinal lineupsAL Central / AL East

Cleveland Guardians   vs   Tampa Bay Rays Preview

July 26, 2026

Starting pitchers, lineup status, recent form, weather and current moneyline context at Tropicana Field.

12:15 PM ET · Tropicana FieldStats updated Jul 26, 11:45 AM ETFinal lineups lockedLast update Jul 26, 11:50 AM ET
T-Score59
Cleveland Guardians
74–72 · 2nd AL Central · T-Score 59
0
0–1
FINAL
Tampa Bay Rays
86–58 · 1st AL East · T-Score 70
1
T-Score70
FINALCLE +110 · TB −119 · Total 7
CLE +110 · TB −119 · Total 7Last update Jul 26, 11:50 AM ET

Matchup at a glance

PitcherStat calculation
CategoryComparisonWhy
Starting pitcherEvenBoth starters enter with comparable season profiles; neither holds a meaningful statistical advantage.
Offense vs handGuardiansCleveland has produced the stronger offense against right-handed pitching.
Starter formGuardiansMessick has a 2.61 ERA over his last five starts, while Rasmussen is at 5.55.
Recent formRaysTampa has won 5 of its last 10 and owns the stronger recent run differential.
Team strengthRaysTampa leads 70–59 in T-Score, driven by recent team form.

Starting pitchers

CLE
Parker Messick LHP
Parker Messick
Cleveland Guardians
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
2.53
10th
WHIP
1.04
19th
K/9
9.32
57th
BB/9
2.43
46th
P-Score81i
FIP
3.11
HR/9
0.86
48th
OPS/R
0.571
IP
167.0
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA2.79
Road ERA2.25
Last 5 starts
ERA
2.61
QUALITY
START %
40%
(2 of 5)
DAYS
REST
5
TB
Drew Rasmussen RHP
Drew Rasmussen
Tampa Bay Rays
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
2.88
26th
WHIP
0.91
6th
K/9
9.16
60th
BB/9
1.58
4th
P-Score80i
FIP
2.91
HR/9
0.82
42nd
OPS/R
0.490
IP
153.1
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA3.22
Road ERA2.57
Last 5 starts
ERA
5.55
QUALITY
START %
40%
(2 of 5)
DAYS
REST
5
How the starters differ
·The WHIP gap favors Rasmussen, 0.91 to 1.04.
·Messick has a 0% blow-up rate compared with Rasmussen's 20%.
·Messick enters with a 2.25 road ERA; Rasmussen owns a 3.22 ERA at home.
·Both pitchers work on a normal five days of rest.
Advanced starter metricsERA−, FIP, WAR, career vs opponent
MetricMessickRasmussenNote
ERA−6169Park- and league-adjusted; 100 is average.
FIP3.112.91
WAR4.44.3Season value.

How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix

Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.

Messick arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam41%94.3
Changeup23%85.9
Sinker15%92.7
Curveball9%79.2
Slider6%87.0
Cutter5%90.6
Rasmussen arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Cutter29%90.0
Four-seam29%95.9
Sinker23%95.3
Changeup13%89.7
Curveball4%80.1
Sweeper3%84.5

Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand

Guardians vs RHP (Drew Rasmussen)
26th
in MLB
0.697OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000
Rays vs LHP (Parker Messick)
19th
in MLB
0.691OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000

Lineups

Final lineupsOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page →
Cleveland GuardiansOfficial lineupvs RHP Drew Rasmussen
#HitterPosH-ScoreOPSHRvs RHPVs Rasmussen (BvP)
1Steven KwanLLF52.7062.745No MLB historyNo history
2José RamírezS3B65.70211.633No MLB historyNo history
3Chase DeLauterLRF80.82313.806No MLB historyNo history
4Brayan RocchioSSS54.68713.710No MLB historyNo history
5Travis BazzanaL2B58.72211.807No MLB historyNo history
6Angel MartínezSLF57.71514.699No MLB historyNo history
7Kyle ManzardoL1B52.68413.698No MLB historyNo history
8Austin HedgesRC47.6895.672No MLB historyNo history
9Petey HalpinLCF29.5663.692No MLB historyNo history
1Steven Kwan LF · L.273 / .706 · 2 HRvs hand .745 · No MLB history · No history52H-Score2José Ramírez 3B · S.237 / .702 · 11 HRvs hand .633 · No MLB history · No history65H-Score3Chase DeLauter RF · L.294 / .823 · 13 HRvs hand .806 · No MLB history · No history80H-Score4Brayan Rocchio SS · S.249 / .687 · 13 HRvs hand .710 · No MLB history · No history54H-Score5Travis Bazzana 2B · L.244 / .722 · 11 HRvs hand .807 · No MLB history · No history58H-Score6Angel Martínez LF · S.245 / .715 · 14 HRvs hand .699 · No MLB history · No history57H-Score7Kyle Manzardo 1B · L.215 / .684 · 13 HRvs hand .698 · No MLB history · No history52H-Score8Austin Hedges C · R.253 / .689 · 5 HRvs hand .672 · No MLB history · No history47H-Score9Petey Halpin CF · L.215 / .566 · 3 HRvs hand .692 · No MLB history · No history29H-Score
Tampa Bay RaysOfficial lineupvs LHP Parker Messick
#HitterPosH-ScoreOPSHRvs LHPVs Messick (BvP)
1Yandy DíazRDH84.84722.877No MLB historyNo history
2Ryan ViladeRRF69.80411.838No MLB historyNo history
3Junior CamineroR3B92.90439.944No MLB historyNo history
4Jonny DeLucaRRF50.7069.682No MLB historyNo history
5Chandler SimpsonLLF45.6930.655No MLB historyNo history
6Ben WilliamsonR2B39.6413.622No MLB historyNo history
7Cedric MullinsLCF51.63814.575No MLB historyNo history
8Nick FortesRC44.6714.649No MLB historyNo history
9Richie PalaciosL2B50.6899.462No MLB historyNo history
1Yandy Díaz DH · R.306 / .847 · 22 HRvs hand .877 · No MLB history · No history84H-Score2Ryan Vilade RF · R.262 / .804 · 11 HRvs hand .838 · No MLB history · No history69H-Score3Junior Caminero 3B · R.282 / .904 · 39 HRvs hand .944 · No MLB history · No history92H-Score4Jonny DeLuca RF · R.258 / .706 · 9 HRvs hand .682 · No MLB history · No history50H-Score5Chandler Simpson LF · L.307 / .693 · 0 HRvs hand .655 · No MLB history · No history45H-Score6Ben Williamson 2B · R.247 / .641 · 3 HRvs hand .622 · No MLB history · No history39H-Score7Cedric Mullins CF · L.205 / .638 · 14 HRvs hand .575 · No MLB history · No history51H-Score8Nick Fortes C · R.265 / .671 · 4 HRvs hand .649 · No MLB history · No history44H-Score9Richie Palacios 2B · L.227 / .689 · 9 HRvs hand .462 · No MLB history · No history50H-Score

Team comparison

OffenseCLECLE·TBTB
AVG.237 22nd.261 1st
OPS.686 28th.734 6th
Home runs136 29th153 22nd
Runs593 27th654 11th
OBP.314 20th.329 5th
SLG.372 29th.405 11th
PitchingCLECLE·TBTB
1stMLB rank30th
ERA3.77vs3.80
CLETB
WHIP1.26vs1.15
CLETB
K/99.5vs8.2
CLETB
HR Allowed162vs181
CLETB
BullpenCLECLE·TBTB
1stMLB rank30th
Bullpen ERA3.78vs3.72
no league rank
Saves40vs55
CLETB
ResultsCLECLE·TBTB
+16719th
Run differential
+20911th
74–72 Record86–58
4–6 Last 105–5
Last 10 games
Cleveland Guardians (4–6)
L
L
L
L
W
W
L
L
W
W
Tampa Bay Rays (5–5)
W
W
L
W
W
W
L
L
L
L
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
5—2
7 Games Played

Frequently asked

Who is starting for the Guardians?+
Parker Messick (2.68 ERA, 8–5) is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Rays?+
Drew Rasmussen (3.28 ERA, 8–5) is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
12:15 PM ET at Tropicana Field.
Where is the game being played?+
Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not as official league cards. The orders shown are the current projected or last-posted lineups.
What is the current moneyline?+
CLE +110 · TB −119 · Total 7. Lines are informational only.
What is the current total?+
The total is 7. Lines are informational.
How have the Guardians and Rays performed head-to-head?+
Season series: Rays 2–5 this season.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Parker Messick is at 81; Drew Rasmussen is at 80. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.