Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays
This is one of the most crucial series of the MLB season. The matchup winner will be the team that comes out of the weekend in first place in the AL East.
The Rays got off to a historic start this season as they won their first thirteen games. Since then, they are eight games over .500.
Tampa has been led by a strong effort from star shortstop Wander Franco, who was voted in as an all-star this season.
Franco is batting .278 on the campaign and leads the team in hits with 98.
Outside of Franco, the rest of the squad is looking good for the Rays.
- Randy Arozarena joined Franco as an all-star this year. Arozarena is batting .278 with seventeen home runs.
- Yandy Diaz was the third-position player that was voted into the all-star game. Diaz leads the team in batting average (.321)
The Rays rank 4th in the MLB in runs per game (5.31 runs), but have struggled as of late, as they are averaging just two runs over their last three games, entering play losers of four games in a row.
Tyler Glasnow will toe the rubber for Tampa Bay tonight.
Pitching has been the strength of this Rays team, who ranks first in baseball with a team ERA of 3.73.
Baltimore enters play as one of the hottest teams in baseball. The Orioles have won nine of their last eleven games. This hot streak has shot them up in the standings, representing a record of 58-37.
Adley Rutschman has been one of the stars of this Baltimore lineup. The switch-hitting catcher was voted into the all-star game for the first time in his young career and leads the team in hits with 95 on the season.
Austin Hays earned himself his first trip to the all-star game this season. Hays has been the most consistent bat in this Orioles lineup, as he will bring an average of .304 into play.
Fellow outfielder Anthony Santander has been the best power source for the O's. Santander leads the team in home runs with seventeen.
Baltimore ranks 8th in the majors in runs per game, averaging 4.98.
Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -1 (-140, DraftKings)
This is a great bounce-back spot for the Rays tonight.
The Rays have played much better at home this season (35-15) compared to the road (25-24). The Rays will also send their ace Glasnow out tonight to try and stop the bleeding.
Glasnow brings good numbers in with him vs. this current Baltimore Orioles lineup outside of one guy.
Aaron Hicks has had the number of Glasnow, as he is 4-10 vs the righty in his career. If you take Hicks out of the equation, Glasnow has shut down most of this Orioles lineup.
Glasnow has looked dominant in his last two starts pitching 11.2 innings and allowing just two runs.
On the other side, Kyle Gibson will toe the rubber for the Orioles tonight. Gibson is 9-6 on the season with an ERA of 4.77 and has been crushed by the Rays over the years.
Gibson has allowed a .328 batting average to this current Rays lineup and an OBP of .371.
The Rays, three stars in particular, have outstanding numbers vs Gibson:
- Randy Arozarena is 3-7 (.429 average)
- Yandy Diaz is 4-9 (.444 average)
- Wander Franco is 2-3 (.667 average)
- Issac Paredes is 3-3 (.1000 average)
The bottom line - the Rays should continue their success vs. Gibson tonight.
You can bet on the Rays to continue to crush Gibson on DraftKings Sportsbook, where you can get up to $1,000 in DK Dollars when you create a new account. Sign up below and start betting today!
