The Rays make the trip to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates! The Rays and the Pirates have struggled with consistency this season and have been very similar this season overall. The Pirates are playing better leading into this series at home, but these teams are very similar. Our MLB odds series has our Rays-Pirates prediction, odds, and pick for Friday.

Rays-Pirates Projected Starters 

Ryan Pepiot vs. Jared Jones

Ryan Pepiot (4-4) with a 4.57 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched 4.2 innings and gave up five runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts in a Rays loss.

2024 Road Splits: (3-1) 3.18 ERA

Jared Jones (4-6) with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched 4.2 innings and gave up six hits with six runs on four walks and six strikeouts in a Pirates loss.

2024 Home Splits: (2-2) 2.14 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rays-Pirates Odds

Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+130)

Moneyline: -124

Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-156)

Moneyline: +106

Over: 8.5 (-124)

Under: 8.5 (+102)

How to Watch Rays vs. Pirates

Time: 6:40 pm ET

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh / Bally Sports Sun

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Rays have been inconsistent this season, and currently sit with a 35-39 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 Ryan Pepiot as pitcher where he has a 4-4 record, a 4.57 ERA, and a 1.08 WHIP. He has allowed 32 runs on 49 hits with 19 walks and 72 strikeouts through 63 innings. The Rays are also 6-6 in the 12 games that he has started, so far this season. Pepiot has not been consistent this season and has been good and bad at points across this season. The Pirates have not been great on offense, so this is an interesting matchup.

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 .286, in home runs at 11, in RBI at 39, and in OBP at .368. Diaz then leads the way in total hits at 76. This is an interesting matchup against Jared Jones because he has also been very inconsistent this season, even with the Rays being below-average overall behind the plate.

Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Pirates have been inconsistent this season on their way to a 36-38 record. They have struggled behind the plate, but their pitching has been average and in the middle of the pack this season. Connor Joe, Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, and Jack Suwinski have been solid behind the plate despite the offensive struggles as a whole. Bailey Falter, Jared Jones, and Mitch Keller have been solid for the pitching staff. It is also worth noting that Paul Skenes has been great in a limited capacity. The Pirates have struggled to find consistency this season, but are playing better recently.

The Pirates have not announced who they are starting yet, but signs point to Jared Jones starting on the mound. He has a 4-6 record, a 3.76 ERA, and a 1.13 WHIP. Through 79 innings, he has allowed 37 runs on 67 hits with 22 walks and 85 strikeouts. He has started 14 games this season, and the Pirates have gone 5-9 in those games. He has been solid on the mound this season and gets an interesting matchup against a Rays offense that has not been impressive.

The offense for the Pirates has struggled this season. They are 25th in the MLB in team batting average at .230 after having a batting average of .239 last season. Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds are the leaders in almost every batting category. Reynolds leads in batting average at .274, in RBI at 40, in OBP at .340, in hits at 82, and is tied for the lead in home runs at 10. McCutchen is who he is tied with and also has 10 home runs. They get an interesting matchup in this spot against Ryan Pepiot because he has had his fair share of good games and bad ones.

Final Rays-Pirates Prediction & Pick

This is a pitching duel. Neither offense is all that impressive even though both teams have some talent behind the plate. Pepiot and Jones are going to determine this game, but neither has been all that consistent for the Rays and the Pirates on the mound respectively. The Pirates are playing better as a team overall, so expect them to cover and win at home.

Click here for more betting news and predictions

Final Rays-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Pirates +1.5 (-156)