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It is two of the best teams in the American League facing off as the Baltimore Orioles face the Tampa Bay Rays. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with an Orioles-Rays prediction, pick, and how-to-watch
The Orioles enter the contest after losing two of three over the weekend to the Chicago Cubs. Still, they have won seven of their last ten games and sit at 44-27 on the season. That is five games back of the Rays, but with this quick two-game series on tap, they can make up ground in the division. The Orioles are a full six games up on the Astros, who are currently the first team out of a wild card spot. They may be looking to move some of their MLB best farm system to bolster some key spots before the trade deadline to ensure the Orioles are heading to the playoffs.
The Rays also lost two of three over the weekend. They were in San Diego over the weekend and come in losers of two straight games. They are just 5-5 in their last ten but hold the best record in the majors. At 51-24 so far this year, they are on pace for 110 wins this year, which should put them in a prime position to win the division. This year they lost two of the first three games to the Orioles and will be looking to even that record today.
Here are the Orioles-Rays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Orioles-Rays Odds
Baltimore Orioles: +1.5 (-134)
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+112)
Over: 8 (+100)
Under: 8 (-122)
How To Watch Orioles vs. Rays
TV: MASN2/BSSUN
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
The Orioles have been struggling to score runs as of late. They scored just 11 runs over the weekend, with six of those coming in one game. They have scored 350 runs this year which is good for ninth in the majors. The Orioles sit eighth in slugging while sitting 12th in batting average and on-base percentage. The Orioles do have some hot bats in the lineup, starting with Austin Hays. He added three more hits and a double on Sunday. That puts him at hitting .344 for the month with eight RBIs and two home runs. He has also scored 11 times this month with a .379 OBP.
Ryan O'Hearn may be the hottest bat in the lineup right now. While he has just six RBIs and three home runs on the month, he is hitting great. O'Hearn is batting .425 so far this month, with a .452 on-base percentage. He has scored ten runs, which means he is scoring in roughly 24 percent of his plate appearances on the month. The Orioles are also expecting Cedric Mullins back soon. He has yet to play this month but has been one of the most consistent players on the team. Whenever he does return, he will be a huge spark to this offense.
Pitching for the Orioles today will be Kyle Bradish. Bradish is 2-3 on the season with a 3.90 ERA. He took the loss in his last start but pitched well. He went seven innings and gave up a solo home run. That was the only run he gave up in the game, but after leaving the game down 1-0, he took the loss in a 3-1 Blue Jays victory. It was the fifth time this year that he went over six innings while giving up one or fewer runs.
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
One of the best offenses in the majors struggled to score this weekend. They were shut out in one game and scored ten runs in the series. This is not characteristic of the Rays as they sit second in the majors in runs scored this year. They are third in on-base percentage, second in slugging, and fifth in batting average so far this season. Leading the way for the Rays has been Randy Arozarena. He is 25th in the majors in batting average while sitting 29th in home runs, 14th in RBIs, and 13th in OPS.
Hitting well recently has been Manuel Margot. He has two RBIs and a hit in the game Sunday. Margot is hitting .295 so far in June while having an OBP of .319. He has eight RBIs on the month with a home run while scoring eight runs. Luke Raley joins Margot in hitting well this month. He is hitting .341 on the month, with two home runs and six RBIs. He has had some issues with strikeouts as of late. Raley has struck out 12 times so far this month, including seven of the 11 games this month. Still, he has been hitting for solid power this month. He has five doubles, two triples, and two home runs so far this month.
Tyler Glasnow will be making his fourth start of the year in this one. So far he is 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA. His three starts so far this month have been solid. He has pitched 16.2 innings while giving up just 11 hits and five runs. Glasnow has given up home runs in three of his four games this month. He has been getting great run support though. Glasnow has received over 20 runs of support in his four starts this year.
Final Orioles-Rays Prediction & Pick
This should be a very tight game. Overall, the Rays have the better offense, but both have not been themselves as of late. Pitching-wise, the two pitchers have had similar years as well. Glasnow has a better record, but that is only because of run support so far this year. If the Rays cannot support him today, it may result in his first loss of the year. Regardless, this should be a great game. Advance metrics-wise, Bradish has been slightly better this year. This could be the difference in the game. If he can keep the ball down and limit the extra-base hits of the Rays, they will cover.
Final Orioles-Rays Prediction & Pick: Orioles +1.5 (-134)
