In today’s MLB betting guide, the Tampa Bay Rays look to break their slump against the Pittsburgh Pirates, while the Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox match up in a battle of two very hot teams.
Tampa Bay Rays (-200) vs Pittsburgh Pirates (+170)
Despite the Rays slumping and losing seven of their last 10 games, they have a very favourable matchup to try to break that slump tonight with a strong pitcher on the mound against the Pirates. Part of the reason why the Rays have lost more than they’ve won recently is they have had the misfortune of playing the New York Yankees in two of the past three series and winning just one of six games. Their pitching and defense haven’t faltered, though, as the top-ranked offense of the Yankees was held to minimal runs.
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Jeffrey Springs takes the mound for the Rays and he has just a 2.00 ERA (earned run average), 0.98 WHIP (walks+hits per inning pitched), and strikes out 9.3 batters per nine innings. The Pirates are 5-5 in their past 10 games but are just 12-20 on the road. Three of those five wins have come against the Chicago Cubs who are also bottom-feeders this season. The Pirates will have some confidence behind starter Mitch Keller as he has pitched four consecutive outings giving up two or fewer runs since being put back into the rotation. It is a battle of the 24th- and 28th-place offenses, so it will likely be a low-scoring game. The Rays are banged up but still pose a much larger threat than the Pirates. Take a chance and bet the Rays runline (-1.5, +100) for some better value if you take this game while taking the under as well (U7.5, -115).
Cleveland Guardians (+100) vs Boston Red Sox (-120)
This is a matchup of two very hot teams. Each has won eight of their past 10 and the Guardians have taken over possession of first in their division. The difference is the Red Sox have won four games in a row, while the Guardians dropped their previous game against the Minnesota Twins after winning three in a row.
This matchup is very close in every aspect of the game, as the Guardians have the advantage at home, but even though Red Sox’s Nick Pivetta and Guardians’ Cal Quantrill have similar pitching stats, Pivetta had a better previous outing and strikes out a lot more batters. Based on the fact that the Guardians have done their damage against much stronger teams of late than the Red Sox, the Guardians will shock the Red Sox a bit and take the first game of their series and are the better bet to take as an underdog with value. Also, look for the over (O8.5, -120) to hit in this one.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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