Rays vs Giants Series Preview: Franco’s Status in Doubt

The San Francisco Giants will host the Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game series, starting Monday at Oracle Park. For the opener, Tampa Bay is -1.5 (+122) on the run line and a -138 favorite to win outright, with San Francisco priced +118. The projected run total is 7.5, with the Over juiced to -105. Baseball enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the Rays vs Giants matchup as a thrilling clash of top teams.

Read on as we break down both teams in our Rays vs Giants series preview.

Franco’s Status in Doubt

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco is being investigated by Major League Baseball after social media posts surfaced alleging that the 22-year-old All-Star had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

Franco didn’t play in Sunday’s 9-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on the MLB schedule, nor did he travel with the team to San Francisco. Rookie Osleivis Basabe started in Franco’s place and went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in his MLB debut.

Franco is batting .281 with 17 homers, 58 RBI and 30 stolen bases this season. There is currently no indication as to whenhe might return to the lineup. The Rays are 71-49 and hold the top wild card spot in the American League.

San Fran Clinging to Wild Card

Rookie catcher Patrick Bailey saved the San Francisco Giants from a fifth-straight loss, homering in the 10th inning Sunday to give them a 3-2 walk-off win over the Texas Rangers. The Giants improved to 63-55 to pull within 1.5 games of the Philadelphia Phillies for the top spot in the MLB wild card standings.

Oddsmakers are bullish on them staying there, listing the Giants -180 to make the playoffs in the National League. Now that the Los Angeles Dodgers have opened a healthy 8.5-game lead atop the NL West, the wild card seems to be the only path.

San Francisco’s offense remains suspect. It totaled just 10 runs over its recent four-game skid and ranks 19th in MLB in scoring. The Giants are also 19th in home runs and 22nd in OPS. On the flip side, the Giants’ team ERA of 3.87 is sixth-best.

All-Star closer Camilo Doval suffered only his fourth blown save of the season Sunday and the first since July 29. His 33 saves are tied with Cincinnati’s Alexis Diaz for the MLB lead.

Odds Outlook

Tampa Bay is 59-61 against the MLB betting run line, including 29-29 on the road. Conversely, San Francisco is 57-61 ATS and 30-30 at home. The Giants’ 50% cover rate at home is tied for the sixth-highest in baseball. That is important to remember when assessing the odds in our Rays vs Giants series preview.

Walker will serve as an opener Monday. The rookie right-hander has been solid since the All-Star break, posting a 1.47 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in 18.2 innings (12 appearances). He’s made eight starts this season.

The Rays will counter with Glasnow, who has not pitched since July 31 because of back spasms. He was named the AL Pitcher of the Month for July after recording a 2.11 ERA and 51 strikeouts over 38.1 innings last month. For the season, Glasnow is 5-3 with a 3.15 ERA.

Littell has been solid since transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation. He’s allowed only three runs across two starts (12 innings) this month. The right-hander has made six starts this season and has yet to go more than six innings in any of his appearances. His ERA is 4.10. The Giants have yet to name a starter opposite him, which could affect the odds in our Rays vs Giants series preview.

Civale — traded last month from the Guardians — is 5-3 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He’s given up five runs over 9.1 innings (two starts) with his new team.

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