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The Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles have split the first two games of the series. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Orioles prediction, pick, and how to watch.
After being shut out in game one of the series, the Orioles bounced back in game two. The Rays jumped out to an early lead on Grayson Rodriguez and the Orioles as Wander Franco hit a solo home run in the first inning. The Orioles would fire back in the third, with Adley Rutschman hitting a two-run shot in the third inning right after the Orioles scored their first run earlier in the inning. That would be all the O's would need. The bullpen came in and pitched 3.1 innings, giving up just one hit and no runs to finish the game and get the win.
Here are the Rays-Orioles MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rays-Orioles Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+138)
Baltimore Orioles: +1.5 (-166)
Over: 9.5 (-102)
Under: 9.5 (-120)
How To Watch Rays vs. Orioles
TV: BSSUN/MASN
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 6:35 PM ET/ 3:35 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
Wander Franco drove in another run last night, and is becoming a generational player. At age 20, Franco is starting to put together an MVP-level season. He lead the team and majors in WAR at 2.3 this year. Franco is hitting .31- on the year, with an OPS of .922, while driving in 22 runs. When runners have been in scoring position, he has come away with 14 RBIS, while also stealing three bases. He has been great in May as well. He is hitting .344 on the month, with two home runs and five RBIs. Franco has not been as good against right-handed pitching as left, but he is still hitting .299 off righties, with six home runs and 18 RBIS.
The major player against the righties has been Josh Lowe. He is hitting .316 against right-handed pitching and has hit six of his seven home runs against righties. Seeing a righty today may be good for him, considering he is hitting just .176 this month so far with six strikeouts. On the other end of the spectrum, Yandy Diaz has been heating up. He is hitting .321 in May with two home runs, three RBIs, and seven walks. He also has crushed right-handed pitching this year, hitting .397 with seven home runs.
Jalen Beeks will be used as the opener today. This year he is 1-2 on the season, with two holds and a 6.75 ERA. So far in May, he has appeared in three games with 2.2 innings pitched and just one earned run.
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
Adley Rutschman broke out of his slump in a big way last night. He went one for three with a walk, a home run, and two RBIs. On the season he is hitting just .273, but two factors suggest he could be in for a good game. He is hitting .302 at home and has hit four of his five home runs at Camden Yards. Also, he has been hitting better average-wise against lefties. He is hitting .288 against left-handed pitching on the year, and he will face one early in this game.
Ryan Mountcastle has been swinging for power against the lefties. He has hit five of his eight home runs against left-handed pitchers so far this season. He is having a solid month of May with a .306 batting average and a .908 OPS. Both are well above his season average, and Mountcastle is getting hot. On the other end of the spectrum is Jorge Mateo. Mateo is hitting just .148 on the month, with 11 strikeouts. He should be able to bounce back out of that today though. He is hitting .311 with two home runs on the season against left-handed pitching, but he has never gotten a hit off Jalen Beeks.
The Orioles will send Dean Kremer to the mound today for game three of the series. This year he is 3-1 with a 5.80 ERA in seven starts. His last start was one of the best of his season. Against the Braves he went six innings and gave up just one run. He does have five starts this year where has given up five or more runs but also has two starts of one or fewer earned runs this year. If he can limit the baserunners, he should be able to pull through in this one.
Final Rays-Orioles Prediction & Pick
The series has been great, with both games being fought and low scoring. This could be another one. The pitching matchup is not at the top of the class, so there should be more runs, but it still looks like it will be a close contest. If the Orioles can get on Beeks early, they should be able to pull it out. If not and they force Kremer to work without a lead, it may be a rough night. More runs in this one, but tight overall, so the O's get the cover.
Final Rays-Orioles Prediction & Pick: Orioles +1.5 (-166)
