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The Tampa Bay Rays are always a contender in the American League East, but a 3-7 record over their last ten games has sent them spiraling down the standings. They now sit in fourth place in the division, 11.5 games back of the Yankees. The Rays will need to start picking off the teams ahead of them to mount a charge, and they have that chance in this weekend's series against the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles won the series' first game on Friday 3-1, and the Rays' abysmal offense could be in trouble against the Orioles' elite pitching staff. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Orioles prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Zack Littel performed well as a starter this season, owning a 2-3 record with a 3.03 ERA in 11 starts. It's the same story for every Rays starter, as a lack of run support from their sputtering offense has hurt their overall record. Littel will need an outstanding outing to beat Cole Irvin and the Orioles.
Littel will have his work cut out for him to outduel Cole Irvin. Irvin allowed just two earned runs over his last five starts, which included four scoreless outings. Irvin went five innings in his previous outing, allowing four hits and no earned runs. The Orioles pitching depth is so great that they've experimented with Irvin in the bullpen, but his home is as a starter and he proved that in his return to the rotation.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rays-Orioles Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: +1.5 (-178)
Moneyline: +112
Baltimore Orioles: -1.5 (+146)
Moneyline: -132
Over: 9 (-110)
Under: 9 (-110)
How to Watch Rays vs. Orioles
Time: 1:35 PM ET/10:35 AM PT
TV: MASN2, Bally Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win
There aren't many reasons to back the Rays in this game with their recent form, but the bullpen is one area where they have an advantage. The Rays bullpen has a 3.32 ERA over their last three games, while the Orioles own a 4.63. The avenue for the Rays to win this game is Zack Littel, with another quality outing that keeps the Rays close until Irvin comes out of the game. The Rays can jump on the abysmal Orioles bullpen and steal a victory. There may not be many runs in this game, so it will have to be a low-scoring duel for the Rays to win.
Why The Orioles Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Orioles bullpen may hurt them, but the Rays are one team that may not take advantage. If Irvin continues his form from the Red Sox start, there won't be many innings from the Orioles bullpen. There's a path where Irvin shuts down the Rays' offense deep into the game. The Rays are batting just .180 over their last ten games, averaging 2.6 runs/nine.
The Orioles are another team that may cause Littel to struggle. The Red Sox scored four runs against Littel in his last start on the road, and the Orioles can do the same. The Orioles have a .325 on-base percentage and averaged 5.6 runs/nine over their last ten games.
Final Rays-Orioles Prediction & Pick
The Rays bullpen may be able to shut down the Orioles in this game, but if Irvin keeps the same form, it may be too late by the time the bullpen appears. The Orioles will score some runs on Zack Littel, and you can expect Irvin to perform well against one of the worst offensive teams in the league. Take Irvin to go deep into this outing to send the Rays farther down the American League East standings.
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Final Rays-Orioles Prediction & Pick: Orioles ML (-132)
