The Cincinnati Reds host the Tampa Bay Rays for an exciting interleague matchup! It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Reds prediction and pick.
This 3-game series starts Friday night as two elite pitchers will be facing off for the first time in their careers. The Rays are coming off of a series win against the Boston Red Sox where they won the final two games of the series. As for the Reds, they played a double header yesterday and so this team will be a little winded tonight. The Reds split the DH with the Pittsburgh Pirates but are still last in the NL Central Division by 17.5 games. The Rays are 2nd in the AL East by a half-game over the Red Sox but are 14.5 games behind the mighty New York Yankees.
Here are the Rays-Reds MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rays-Reds Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+102)
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-122)
Over: 7.5 (-102)
Under: 7.5 (-120)
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Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
Pitching for the Rays tonight is early AL Cy Young favorite, Shane McClanahan. The southpaw is (9-3) on the year with an immaculate 1.74 ERA through 98.1 innings pitched this season. He's second in the majors in ERA and tied for second in strikeouts with 133 alongside Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox. The youngster is pitching very well for the Rays this year and is a huge reason for their success. If the Rays want to cover this spread, he will need to pitch well tonight once again.
The lineup is starting to pick it up as of late. Isaac Paredes is a name to pay attention to as he had a great month of June. He's batting .254 on the year with 13 homers and 28 RBIs but has only played half the season. With his success and the great hitting from Randy Arozarena, Harold Ramirez, and Yandy Diaz, this lineup could become a problem for the Reds tonight. Rising star Wander Franco is struggling right now but should start to pick things up soon.
Why The Reds Could Cover The Spread
Luis Castillo will start for the Reds tonight. After missing the beginning of the season, he's starting to find his groove after 64 innings this year. He's (3-4) with a 3.09 ERA and WHIP of 1.14. The right-hander is coming off two-straight great performances as he allowed one run in his last two starts combined. When healthy, Castillo is the Reds' top pitcher but they also have seen success from others in the rotation as well. He will need to continue to pitch well against a solid Rays lineup.
The offense for the Reds has a ton of concerns. With injuries taking over and the start of a rebuild, it's tough to know how the players will hit right now. Brandon Drury is their best hitter right now and has turned himself into a great trade candidate. He's batting .269 with 17 home runs and 47 RBIs. Outside of him, it's hard to find anything eye-opening. Tommy Pham and Kyle Farmer are playing decent baseball right now but are clearly not doing enough to consistently win games. Going against McClanahan tonight, the Reds are in for a tough test.
Final Rays-Reds Prediction & Pick
This should be an easy decision and I do think the Rays win this game. However, Castillo has found his rhythm and should pitch a great game tonight at home. Take the Reds to cover this spread as it should be a close battle. The under at 7.5 is assuring as well.
Final Rays-Reds Prediction & Pick: Reds +1.5 (-122) & under 7.5 (-120)
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