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It is a battle between the two best teams in the American League as the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Baltimore Orioles. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Orioles prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Yesterday the Rays came out on top, with a 3-0 victory behind some great pitching. McClanahan went six innings, giving up just four hits a no runs on 102 pitches. The bullpen came in and shut down the Orioles for the last three innings, getting the shutout win. Kyle Gibson was solid for the Orioles, giving up two runs in six innings, but without any run support, the Orioles fell. The runs yesterday came off the long ball primarily. Josh Lowe and Luke Raley both hit solo home runs in the game, while Wander Franco added a sacrifice fly to give the Rays their three runs.
Here are the Rays-Orioles MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rays-Orioles Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+128)
Baltimore Orioles: +1.5 (-154)
Over: 8 (-112)
Under: 9 (-108)
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
The Rays did it again, they scored just enough to get a nice win. They do not always score a ton, but on the season the offense is scoring 6.33 runs per game, the best in the majors. They have done this while launching an MLB-leading 73 home runs, and leading the league in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. Last night was not their best offensive showing, but it was two more home runs for the Rays as they got the win.
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 in WAR at 1.9 this year, which is also good for fifth in the league. Franco is hitting .307 on the year, with an OPS of .904, while driving in 21 runs. When runners have been in scoring position, he has come away with 14 RBIS, while also stealing three bases. Randy Arozarena is the other major player on this squad. He is fourth in the league in RBIs with 30 and tied for seventh with nine home runs. He is 5th in the league in OPS and seventh in the majors in batting average. The combination of the two has become a feared duo for any pitcher.
Hoping to pick up where the pitchers left off yesterday will be Zach Eflin. Eflin has been great this year, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in five starts. The Rays have won all five times he has started, and last time out it was seven innings of scoreless baseball for Eflin. In that game, he gave up just three hits, while walking no one, and striking out ten batters.
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
The Oriole’s offense is ranked seventh in the majors, scoring 5.31 runs per game this year. Still, it has been the offense to let them down as of late. In their last ten games, they have been below their season average in runs scored six times, including being shut out twice. In those games, they are 1-5. When they have scored over their season average, they are 4-0.
Adley Rutschman may be one of the best catchers in the league already, but his struggles as of late continued last night. He went 0-4 with three strikeouts in the game. He has not had a hit in five straight games, and his batting average in May is just .192. Cedric Mullins is leading the team in RBIs with 28, and he is a major key to this offense. He has seven RBIs in May, and all have come in Orioles’ victories. In the last ten games that Mullins has driven in a run, the Orioles have won seven of them. In the game he has not driven in a run, the Orioles are 5-5, including losing their last four.
The Orioles will send 23-year-old Grayson Rodriguez to the mound today. He is currently 1-0 with a 5.46 ERA, but the Orioles have won five of the six starts he has made. After two outings against the Tigers where he went a combined ten innings without giving up a run, he gave up six in 3.2 innings of work last time out against the Royals. It was the worst outing of his young career, and he will be looking to bounce back.
Final Rays-Orioles Prediction & Pick
While based on the record, these are two of the best in the American League, it seems like the Rays are on a different level. Yesterday, the Rays shut down the offense that has done so well for them all year long. Rodriguez is coming off a really bad start, and there is not a major track record of how he will bounce back. Against a team like the Rays, a bounceback does not seem likely. The Rays will get to him early, and win this game.
Final Rays-Orioles Prediction & Pick: Rays -1.5 (+128)