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The Rays make the trip to Minnesota to face the Twins! The Rays have struggled with consistency this season, while the Twins have been one of the better teams in the MLB. The Twins also come into this game red-hot, while the Rays have struggled. Our MLB odds series has our Rays-Twins prediction, odds, and pick for Wednesday.
Rays-Twins Projected Starters
Taj Bradley vs. Joe Ryan
Taj Bradley (2-4) with a 4.23 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched seven innings and gave up two runs on three hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts in a Rays win.
2024 Road Splits: (1-1) 11.88 ERA
Joe Ryan (5-5) with a 3.24 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched seven innings and gave up two runs on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts in a Twins win.
2024 Home Splits: (3-3) 4.01 ERA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rays-Twins Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: +1.5 (-154)
Moneyline: +136
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+128)
Moneyline: -162
Over: 7.5 (-102)
Under: 8 (-120)
How to Watch Rays vs. Twins
Time: 7:40 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports North / Bally Sports Sun
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Rays have been inconsistent out of the gate, and currently sit with a 34-38 record. The Rays are below average on offense and then are in the bottom half of the MLB in pitching. This play on both sides of the ball is why they have struggled to find consistency as a team. Isaac Paredes, Amed Rosario, Yandy Diaz, Harold Ramirez, Jose Caballero, and Randy Arozarena have been solid for the Rays offense. On the mound, Zach Eflin and Zack Littell have been solid for a unit that has not been great this season.
The Rays are starting Taj Bradley at pitcher where he has a 2-4 record, a 4.23 ERA, and a 1.10 WHIP. He has allowed 20 runs on 30 hits with 12 walks and 50 strikeouts through 38.1 innings. The Rays are also 3-4 in the seven games that he has started, so far this season. Taj Bradley has been decent on the mound in a more limited capacity, and the Twins present a decent challenge behind the plate.
The offense for the Rays has struggled this season behind the plate. They are 23rd in team-batting average at .232 after finishing with a .260 last season. Isaac Paredes and Yandy Diaz lead the way in most batting categories. Paredes leads in batting average at .281, in home runs at 10, in RBI at 38, and in OBP at .360. Diaz then leads the way in total hits at 73. This is a difficult matchup against Joe Ryan because he has been great this season for the Twins as the best pitcher their staff has to offer so far. The Rays have struggled, so on paper this favors Ryan.
Why The Twins Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Twins are 40-32 and have won seven out of their last eight games. The Twins are around the middle of the pack and are struggling in pitching. Alex Kirilloff, Edouard Julien, Byron Buxton, Willi Castro, Carlos Santana, and Ryan Jeffers are some notable names on this Minnesota offense despite the struggles. On the mound, Joe Ryan and Simeon Woods Richardson are the names to watch despite the struggles they have dealt with there as a staff.
The Twins are starting Joe Ryan on the mound where he has a 5-5 record, a 3.24 ERA, and a 0.94 WHIP. He has allowed 34 runs on 67 hits with 14 walks and 90 strikeouts through 86 innings. The Twins are 8-6 in the 14 games that he's started so far this season. Ryan has been the best pitcher in a pitching staff that has needed more consistency overall. He gets a favorable matchup against a Rays offense that has struggled this season.
The offense for the Twins has been around the middle of the pack this season. They have jumped all over the place in the rankings but are 15th in the MLB in team batting average at .243 after finishing with the same last season. Willi Castro, Ryan Jeffers, Carlos Santana, and Carlos Correa lead the way for the Twins in most of their batting categories. Correa leads in batting average at .308 and in OBP at .370. Then, Jeffers leads in home runs at 12, Santana leads in RBI at 36, and Castro leads in total hits at 64. This offense gets an interesting matchup against Taj Bradley for the Rays because he has been more limited this season, but has been solid. The Twins have jumped all over the place in offense and have talent and depth.
Final Rays-Twins Prediction & Pick
This game is going to end up being a pitching duel. Ryan has been great for Minnesota and Bradley has been great in a more limited role in Tampa Bay. Neither team has been great on offense, but the Twins are slightly better behind the plate. The Rays should cover this spread thanks to Bradley. Twins might still win thanks to the home-field advantage.
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Final Rays-Twins Prediction & Pick: Rays +1.5 (-154)
