The Tampa Bay Rays (33-37) travel to face off against the Atlanta Braves (37-30) on Saturday, June 15th. This game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta and televised on BSSUN. The Braves are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Braves. First pitch is set for 3:10 CT.

Rays vs Braves

The most recent game o of this Braves vs. Rays series came right down to the end, as the Rays rallied late but still fell short with the Braves winning 7-3 at home. Heading into the game, the Braves were favored at -226 on the money line.

Chris Sale pitched well for the Braves in this one, going seven innings and striking out seven without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Raisel Iglesias closed things out. Zack Littell had a rough outing for the Rays, taking the loss.

Austin Riley hit the game’s only home run while going 3/4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Marcell Ozuna also had a multi-hit game for the Braves, going 2/5 with two RBIs.

Tampa Bay is 5th in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by 16 games. Overall, the Rays are 33-37, and they are 10-17 in AL East matchups. The Rays are looking to bounce back after dropping the first game of their series vs. the Braves.

As the road team today, the Rays are 14-14 on the road this year compared to 19-23 at home. So far, they have been the favorite in 41 games, going 21-20 in those matchups. As for their record as the underdog, the Rays are 12-17 this year. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 10-10-2 this year.

When the Rays win, they win big, with an average margin of victory of 2.3 runs. However, they lose by an average of 3.8 runs per game. They have a run line record of 28-42 on the season, but they are 15-13 against the run line on the road. They have been the favorite in 41 games, going 14-27 against the run line. As the underdog, they are 14-15.

The Tampa Bay Rays are on the road today against the Atlanta Braves. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which is slightly below their season average combined run average of 8.6. The Rays have played 68 games this season, and 35 of them have gone over the total. When the over/under line is set at 8.5, they have gone 10-12. So far this season, only 10% of their games have had a higher over/under line than today’s 8.5 runs.

Ryan Pepiot Gets The Start For The Rays

Ryan Pepiot gets the start for the Rays today as he faces the Braves on the road. So far this season, he has made 11 starts and has a record of 4-3 with an ERA of 4.17. Looking at his overall numbers, Pepiot has a WHIP of 1.01 and opponents are batting .200 this season. One thing to note is that he has made five quality starts and is averaging 10.49 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Pepiot took the loss, giving up four earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

Rays Offense Breakdown

One of the few bright spots for the Rays offense this season has been the play of Isaac Paredes, who is hitting a team-best .285 and has 10 home runs, which is 11th in the league. He also leads the team with 38 RBIs. Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 13/39 over his last nine games. This has helped him move his season average to .259.

Overall, the Rays are averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is 26th in the league. They have been even worse in terms of home runs, as their 53 homers are the worst in the league. As a team, they are batting just .232, which is 18th in the MLB.

With their record of 37-30, the Braves are nine games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead. Atlanta will take on the Rays at home today, and they are currently nine games behind the Phillies in the division. The Braves have won two straight games, and they are 4-6 across their last 10 games.

At home, the Braves are 20-12 this season compared to 17-18 on the road. As the favorite, the Braves have gone 35-25 this year, and they are 2-5 as the underdog. Atlanta’s overall series record is 12-8-2, and they dropped two straight series before winning their most recent series.

When the Braves win, they win big. Their average run margin in victories is +3.6, and they have covered the run line in 33 of 67 games this season. They are 15-17 against the run line at home, and their overall run differential is +0.5 runs per game.

The Atlanta Braves have played to an over/under record of 24-40 this season, and their games have averaged 8.3 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 7-14. Overall, 41.8% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.

Charlie Morton Gets The Start For The Braves

Charlie Morton gets the start for the Braves today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Nationals. In that start, he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work. Looking back over his last three starts, Morton has given up at least two homers in each outing. His ERA for the season is 4.12, along with a record of 3-3. Out of his 12 starts, Morton has five quality starts and is averaging 9.04 strikeouts per nine innings. For the year, he has allowed six homers at home and 3.72 walks per nine innings.

Braves Offense Breakdown

Marcell Ozuna has been on a tear of late for the Braves, going 13/32 in his last eight games, including two homers and seven RBIs. Ozuna’s 60 RBIs are 3rd best in the league, and he is also 3rd in the league with 19 homers. Matt Olson has also been a solid power threat for the Braves, as his 10 homers are 2nd on the team and 11th in the MLB.

As a team, the Braves are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They are also near the top of the league in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Overall, they are 12th in scoring and have the league’s 16th ranked home run total.

Rays vs Braves Prediction

We see the Rays coming away with a 5-4 road win over the Braves. Given that the Rays are on the money line at +130, we see that as a great payout and would recommend taking the Rays to win outright.

Looking at the starting pitchers, Charlie Morton is projected to finish with more strikeouts than Ryan Pepiot. However, we have Morton finishing with seven K’s and Pepiot with four, so we don’t see that as a significant difference.

Offensively, we have the Rays finishing with nine hits compared to the Braves with eight. However, the Braves are projected to finish with just four runs, which is the lowest among all teams playing today.

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.