Guardians at Rays Preview ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Interstat) — The Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays open a three-game series Friday night at George Steinbrenner Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT. The weather forecast calls for 87 degrees and rain. Cleveland (54-50) will start left-hander Joey Cantillo (8-5), while Tampa Bay (59-43) counters with left-hander Ian Seymour. The Rays lead the season series 2-1 after sweeping a three-game set in Cleveland from April 27-29, winning 3-2, 1-0 and losing 3-1. Both teams enter the series after losses Thursday. The Guardians dropped a 3-1, 12-inning decision to Minnesota, though starter Gavin Williams delivered a strong outing: 7 innings, 2 hits, 0 earned runs, 11 strikeouts. Cleveland has split its last 10 games. Tampa Bay fell 3-1 at Toronto on Thursday. Seymour took the loss despite allowing only 2 earned runs over 6 innings with 7 strikeouts. The Rays have won five of their last seven. Players to watch: Williams (CLE) has been inconsistent this month. In five July starts, he has three wins and two losses with 45 strikeouts over 29 2/3 innings. His last outing Thursday was his best of the month. On July 17 against Pittsburgh, he allowed 5 earned runs in 6 innings. Seymour (TB) has struggled in his last three outings, posting a 7.30 ERA over 12 1/3 innings. His best start this month came July 7 against the Yankees, when he allowed 3 earned runs over 5 1/3 innings with 12 strikeouts. Betting line: Tampa Bay is a -1.5 favorite. The over/under is 7.5 runs. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Cleveland victory. Up next: The series continues Saturday and Sunday at George Steinbrenner Field. Cleveland then travels to Cincinnati for three games, while Tampa Bay returns home to host Texas for three.