Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays Odds: Can O’s Shrink the Gap in AL East?

After opening the MLB season with 13 straight wins, the Tampa Bay Rays have maintained their place atop the MLB standings. There’s little doubt Tampa Bay will stay there; though the Baltimore Orioles have begun to narrow the gap in the American League East. The Orioles, with budding stars sprinkled throughout their lineup, are 7-3 over their last 10 games and have matched Texas for the second-best win percentage (.620) in the AL.

Looking to keep that momentum rolling, the Orioles will visit the Rays for a brief two-game series starting Tuesday at Tropicana Field. Baltimore took two of three games from Tampa Bay last month.

Read on as we assess the Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays odds.

Orioles Keeping Pace

Can Baltimore overtake Tampa Bay in the AL East? At the very least, the Orioles are keeping pressure on baseball’s best team. At 44-27, the Orioles have climbed to within 5.0 games of Tampa Bay in the division, leapfrogging the Yankees in the process. The Orioles have a comfortable 5.5-game lead atop the MLB Wild Card standings, but they’d obviously like to set their sights higher.

The AL East is a buzzsaw, with all five teams sitting above .500. The Orioles currently have the second-best run differential of the bunch (plus-38) and are 13-8 against division foes.

Baltimore’s lineup has been solid if not unspectacular, ranking top 10 in runs scored (350) and OPS (.749). Catcher Adley Rutschman is arguably the biggest threat, though third baseman Gunnar Henderson might soon join him. Henderson is hitting .364 with five homers in June and has thrust himself back into contention for AL Rookie of the Year. He is currently priced at +325 after opening the season as a +250 favorite. Currently, Texas third baseman Josh Jung (+225) and Boston outfielder Masataka Yoshida (+250) are the only two players with better odds.

The Orioles are a +1200 pick to win the division, third behind Tampa Bay (-550) and New York (+800).

Top of the Class

If there was ever a doubt, Tampa Bay is still the team to beat. The Rays own the best record in baseball at 51-24, including 31-7 at home, and have outscored opponents by a whopping 143 runs. Only Texas, at plus-148, has a larger run differential.

The Rays hit better than most teams. They rank top 5 in runs (415), home runs (117), average (.263), and OPS (.803). Six different players have hit double-digit homers, led by outfielder Randy Arozarena with 13. They pitched better than most, too. Only Houston, at 3.33, has a lower ERA than Tampa Bay’s mark of 3.49.

Tampa Bay, the first team in baseball to 50 wins, is currently a +550 pick to win the World Series. Atlanta currently shares the same odds, while the Dodgers and Astros are close behind at +600 and +750, respectively.

Game 1

• Tyler Glasnow vs Kyle Bradish (Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. ET)

Glasnow has been solid in four starts since returning from the Injured List with a strained oblique. The 29-year-old right-hander has a 3.43 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 21 innings.

He opposes Bradish, who is 2-3 with a 3.90 ERA. Bradish is coming off his longest start of the season, a seven-inning stint against Toronto in which he allowed just one run. Despite that, he was dealt a hard-luck loss.

Tampa Bay is -1.5 (+120) on the run line and a -165 favorite to win outright, with Baltimore priced at +145. The projected total is 8 (+/-) 105/115, per the Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays odds.

Game 2

• Taj Bradley vs Tyler Wells (Wednesday, 12:10 p.m. ET)

The 22-year-old Bradley has shown plenty of promise as a rookie, with 63 strikeouts over his first 43 innings. Bradley — a +4000 pick to win AL Rookie of the Year — struck out a season-high 11 batters against Oakland on Thursday.

Bradley’s counterpart, Wells, is 6-2 with a 3.20 ERA and leads baseball with a 0.86 WHIP. Interestingly, he’s also allowed the fourth-most homers (16) of any pitcher.

For Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays odds, betting analysis, and more, visit PointSpreads.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

• Red Sox vs Twins Betting Odds: Boston Looks to Stay Hot After Sweeping Yanks
• Padres vs Giants Preview: Surging San Francisco Has Won 7 Straight
• D’Backs vs Brewers Preview: Series Starts With Solid Pitching Matchup
• Mets vs Astros Betting Preview: Can Struggling Aces Get In the Groove?
• Cubs vs Pirates Odds: Chicago Likely Favorites Each Game in Series