The Tampa Bay Rays (57-39) face the Cleveland Indians (48-45) in a crucial four-game series at Progressive Field. Both teams currently sit in second place in their respective divisions, with the Rays just one game behind Boston in the AL East and Cleveland 8.5 games behind Chicago in the AL Central.

Series Schedule (All times ET):

• Thursday, July 22: 7:10 PM - Luis Patino (1-2, 4.87 ERA) vs. Cal Quantrill (2-2, 4.05 ERA)
• Friday, July 23: 7:10 PM - TBD vs. Zach Plesac (5-3, 4.19 ERA)
• Saturday, July 24: 7:10 PM - TBD vs. J.C. Mejia (1-5, 7.53 ERA)
• Sunday, July 25: 1:10 PM - TBD vs. Triston McKenzie (1-4, 5.91 ERA)

Team Comparison:

• Rays: 7th in scoring (4.88 runs/game), 10th in defense (4.04 runs allowed/game)
• Cleveland: 17th in both scoring (4.30 runs/game) and defense (4.53 runs allowed/game)

Key Players: Rays:

• Brandon Lowe: .214/.330/.461, 21 HR, 48 RBI
• Mike Zunino: 19 HR
• Austin Meadows: 16 HR
• Randy Arozarena: 13 HR

Cleveland:

• Jose Ramirez: .254/.341/.505, 19 HR, 52 RBI, 62 runs
• Bradley Zimmer: .320/.346/.600 (last week)

Current Odds:

• Rays: +140 to win AL East, +1500 World Series
• Cleveland: +1200 to win AL Central, +6000 World Series

The series is particularly important for Cleveland, who needs to gain ground in their division and perform well before the trade deadline to avoid becoming sellers. The Rays aim to maintain pressure on Boston while building on their strong 27-21 road record.

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