Guardians vs Giants: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries and picks

World Series champion and Red Sox legend Rafael Devers is set to make his debut for the San Francisco Giants as they welcome the Cleveland Guardians for a three-game series on Tuesday. In a perplexing trade, Devers was shipped to the Bay in exchange for Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, James Tibbs III and Jose Bello.

Although his role will overlap with Gold Glover Matt Chapman, he would likely be deployed as a designated hitter or even a first baseman when the former returns from injury.

Robbie Ray will be deployed on the bump to start the highly anticipated matchup. Ray is tied for the second-most wins among pitchers this year with eight. Opposite the former Cy Young winner will be Slade Cecconi. The young hurler has posted a 4.26 ERA across five starts this season.

Guardians vs. Giants recent form and records

The Giants own the second spot in the stacked NL West with their 41-31 record. Bob Melvin's men have recently snagged away the position from his old team, the Padres, by winning seven of their last 10 games.

The Guardians, meanwhile, are on a downward spiral. They sit in third in the AL Central and have won just two of their last 10 games, including a series sweep at the hands of the Mariners.

Guardians vs. Giants odds

Money Line: CLE (+134), SF (-147)

Run Spread: CLE +1.5 (-161), SF -1.5 (+137)

Total Runs: O 7.5 (+107), U 7.5 (-125)

Guardians vs. Giants injuries

CLE injury report

Sam Hentges (RP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
Shane Bieber (SP): 60-day IL (elbow)
Trevor Stephan (RP): 60-day IL (elbow)
Paul Sewald (RP): 15-day IL (shoulder)
Lane Thomas (CF): 10-day IL (foot)
Will Brennan (RF): 10-day IL (forearm)
John Means (SP): 60-day IL (elbow)
Andrew Walters (RP): 60-day IL (lat)

SF injury report

Matt Chapman (3B): 10-day IL (hand)
Justin Verlander (SP): 15-day IL (pectoral)
Tom Murphy (C): 60-day IL (back)
Jordan Hicks (SP): 15-day IL (toe)
Patrick Bailey (C): 60-day IL (back)

Guardians vs. Giants projected lineup

CLE projected lineup

Steven Kwan (LF)
Lane Thomas (CF)
Jose Ramirez (3B)
David Fry (DH)
Carlos Santana (1B)
Gabriel Arias (SS)
Johnathan Rodriguez (RF)
Bo Naylor (C)
Angel Martinez (2B)
Slade Cecconi (SP, 1-3 | 4.26 ERA | 28 K)

SF projected lineup

Jung Hoo Lee (CF)
Willy Adames (SS)
Rafael Devers (3B)
Heliot Ramos (LF)
Dominic Smith (1B)
Wilmer Flores (DH)
Mike Yastrzemski (RF)
Tyler Fitzgerald (2B)
Andrew Knizner (C)
Robbie Ray (SP, 8-1 | 2.55 ERA | 92 K)

Guardians vs. Giants and game prediction

With San Francisco scheduled to start Robbie Ray and insert multi-time All-Star Rafael Devers into their lineup for his debut, they're heavily favored over Cleveland, which is having its roughest run of form this campaign. Feel confident in backing the Devers and company in the opening matchup.

Run Line: SF -1.5, (+137)

Total Runs: U 7.5, (-125)

Prediction: SF wins, 5-1

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago

Guardians vs Giants: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries and picks - June 17, 2025