The Tampa Bay Rays (33-36) travel to face off against the Atlanta Braves (36-30) on Friday, June 14th. This game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta and televised on BSSUN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. First pitch is set for 6:20 CT.
Rays vs Braves
The Rays’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Cubs, closing out their series with a 3-2 win. After allowing the Cubs to score two runs in the top of the 5th, the Rays responded with three runs of their own. Tampa Bay was the slight favorite at -106 on the money line going into the game.
Taj Bradley put together a good start for the Rays, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just two walks and struck out 11 Cubs batters. Yandy Diaz was hot at the plate, going 2/4 with a run scored and an RBI.
The Rays are 5th in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by 15 games. Overall, they are 33-36 heading into today’s road matchup vs. the Braves. Tampa Bay is 10-17 against other AL East teams this year.
At home, the Rays are 19-23 and have gone 14-13 on the road. Tampa Bay has won three straight games on the road, and they are an even 7-7 as the road underdog this year. So far, they have been just above .500 as the favorite, putting together a mark of 21-20. The Rays have an overall series record of 10-10-2 this year, and they won their most recent series vs. the Cubs.
When the Rays win, they win big. Their average run differential in wins is +2.3 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose big. Their average run differential in losses is -3.8 runs per game. Tampa Bay is 28-41 against the run line this season, but they are 15-12 on the road and have covered in three straight road games.
When the Tampa Bay Rays are on the road, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs for their game against the Atlanta Braves. The Rays have an average combined run average of 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 34-33. Their games have averaged 8 runs per game, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, their over/under record is 9-12. This season, only 10.1% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher, with 59.4% of their games having lower lines. The under has hit in their last three games.
Zack Littell Gets The Start For The Rays
Zack Littell is looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Orioles, as he gets the start for the Rays today. In that June 9th start, he took the loss, going six innings and giving up three earned runs, including a homer. Littell has given up at least one homer in three straight outings. Looking at his overall numbers, Littell has made 13 starts, and his record for the season is 2-4 with a 3.63 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .278 off the right-hander this season. Littell’s WHIP for the season is 1.29.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot for the Rays this season, as he is batting .286 and leads the team with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs, which is 14th in the league. Paredes is also on a seven-game hitting streak. Yandy Diaz has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 14/39 in his last nine games, but he is still looking for his first home run of the season.
Overall, the Rays offense is averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is the worst mark in the league. They are also one of the worst home run-hitting teams in the league and have a collective batting average of just .232. Tampa Bay’s team OPS of .656 is also the worst in the MLB right now.
The Braves’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Orioles, closing out their series with a 6-3 win. After scoring two runs in the 1st inning, the Braves added another two runs in the 4th to take a 4-0 lead. The Orioles pulled to within one run after scoring three times in the 7th, but the Braves added two insurance runs in the top of the 9th to close things out.
Reynaldo Lopez put together a good start for the Braves, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out eight Orioles batters. Ozzie Albies was hot at the plate, going 4/5 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a run scored. The Braves also had three other players with two hits.
Atlanta opens their series vs. the Rays nine games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead. The Braves are 36-30 overall and have gone 12-11 against other teams in the NL East. The Braves are 19-12 at home compared to 17-18 on the road.
So far, the Braves have been favored in 59 of their games, and they are 34-25 in those contests. As for their two games as the underdog, they have gone just 2-5. Atlanta’s overall series record is 12-8-2, but they lost two straight series before their series vs. the Orioles. The Braves dropped two of three games in that series and are 4-6 in their last 10 games.
The Braves have been a solid run line bet this season, going 32-34 overall. They have been slightly better on the road, where they are 18-17 against the run line. They have been favored in 59 games and have gone 28-31 against the run line in those contests. Their average run differential this season is +0.4 runs per game.
The Braves have played in 46 games this season with an average of 8.3 runs scored per game. Their over/under record is 23-40, and the average over/under line in their games is 9 runs. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, the Braves have gone over in 6 games and under in 14. In total, 28 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs, which accounts for 42.4% of their games.
Chris Sale Gets The Start For The Braves
Chris Sale gets the start for the Braves today and comes into the game with a record of 8-2 and an ERA of 3.01. So far, he has made 12 starts and seven of them have been quality starts. Sale’s ERA at home is 3.79, and he has not lost at home this season, coming in with a record of 6-0. In his last outing, Sale took the loss, giving up two earned runs in seven innings of work. Before that, he had won three straight starts. Sale’s WHIP for the season is .94, and he is averaging 11.09 strikeouts per nine innings.
Braves Offense Breakdown
Marcell Ozuna has been on a tear for the Braves of late, going 10/24 in his last six games. For the season, he is batting .322 with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs. Ozuna is also on a three-game hitting streak. Matt Olson has also been swinging the bat well for the Braves, going 8/23 in his last six games and is on a seven-game hitting streak.
As a team, the Braves are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They are also 11th in batting average and have the 11th best slugging percentage in the league. Overall, they are 15th in home runs and have a collective isolated power figure of .154.
Rays vs Braves Prediction
With the Rays being the underdog in this one, we really like the value of taking them on the money line, as they are sitting at +178. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Rays, giving us a good amount of cushion on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Chris Sale is projected to have a solid outing, but we still have him finishing with just eight strikeouts, which is the second-best among starters. Zack Littell is projected to finish with just four K’s, and his chances of picking up a win are right in the middle of the pack.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:June 14, 2024 Braves, Rays