Rays vs Orioles Series Preview: Now or Never for TB

The Tampa Bay Rays visit the Baltimore Orioles for a four-game series beginning Thursday. First place in the American League will be on the line. The Orioles enter the series with a 2.0-game lead over the Rays. That leaves Tampa Bay needing to go 3-1 to move into a first-place tie. The Orioles could take a big step towards sewing up the division title with a series win. The Rays vs Orioles series preview shows Aaron Civale and Kyle Bradish as the starters in Thursday’s series opener. Baltimore is -130 with a total of 8.5-over (-120).

The Orioles are one of the big surprises of the 2023 season. Few people expected to see them at the top of the MLB standings division in the East. There’s also Tampa Bay, Toronto, Boston, and the Yankees to contend with. But as of now, the Orioles have played better than any of them.

Baltimore has hit the ball, sitting at No. 6 in runs scored, while the pitching staff has been a little above average at No. 13. Relief pitchers have converted 44 of 72 save opportunities for the Orioles.

Tampa Bay is No. 4 in runs scored, with Yandy Diaz among the MLB leaders 2023 in hitting with a .324 batting average. Tampa Bay is No. 7 in team batting average. But the Rays also hit for power and are tied with the Angels at No. 3 in homers.

Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has gotten the job done this season. The Rays are No. 3 in team ERA and have converted 43 of 70 save opportunities.

Thursday’s Game

Civale is 7-3 with a 2.96 ERA on the season. His teams are 12-8 when he starts and the Rays are 5-2 with him on the mound since picking him up from Cleveland. Bradish is 11-6 with a 3.03 ERA and the Orioles are 18-8 when he starts and 7-3 when he starts at home. Baltimore is 15-4 with Bradish on the mound and the total is at least 8.5, so it would be hard to go against Baltimore as one of your baseball picks in this spot. The Orioles are 27-13 as a home favorite of -130 or higher.

Friday’s Game

The Rays vs Orioles series preview has Zach Eflin and Jack Flaherty as the starters in Friday’s game. Eflin is 14-8 with a 3.53 ERA on the season. Tampa Bay is 20-8 when he starts this season and 7-4 when he starts on the road. Flaherty’s teams are 16-10 when he starts and the Orioles are 3-3 with him on the mound. He hasn’t pitched well since coming to Baltimore. In his six starts, the Orioles have allowed 40 runs, but have a 13-12 win and an 8-5 win when he started. The Rays look like the winner as smaller favorites in Game 2.

Saturday’s Game

The Rays vs Orioles series preview has Tyler Glasnow and Grayson Rodriguez as the scheduled starters on Saturday. Glasnow is 9-5 with a 3.15 ERA. Tampa Bay is 10-7 when he starts and 5-3 when he takes the mound on the road. Rodriguez is 5-4 with a 4.88 ERA. Baltimore has won 12 of his 20 starts and is 13-6-1 in totals when he takes the mound. At home, Rodriguez has pitched a little bit worse, although he did beat Eflin and the Rays 4-2 in May. Baltimore is 5-5 with Rodriguez at home, allowing 5.1 runs per game. Tampa Bay is probably the side to be on in this game.

Sunday’s Game

Zack Littell and Dean Kremer are the scheduled starters in the series finale. Littell is just 3-6 on the season with a 4.25 ERA. Littell has pitched much better since moving into the starting rotation. Tampa Bay is 5-7 when starts, allowing 3.92 runs per game. He’s had a bit of bad luck the last two games, with the Rays falling 1-0 to Seattle and 3-2 to Minnesota. Kremer is 12-5 on the year with a 4.25 ERA.

The Orioles are 22-7 when Kremer starts and have won 11 of his last 12 outings. At home, Baltimore is 14-3 when Kremer starts. The Orioles are 18-9-2 in totals with Kremer on the hill. Kremer was on the mound in a 2-1 win against Tampa Bay on May 10. The Orioles will be decent-sized favorites here and think Littell will offer some value. He’s due after a couple of tough losses and Kremer hasn’t pitched as well as his win-loss record indicates.

For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

• Giants vs Rockies Preview: Will Patrick Bailey’s Return Help Giants In Playoff Push?
• Major League Baseball Weekend Spotlight: Yordan Alvarez
• Reds vs Tigers Series Preview: Cincinnati Needs Victories
• Padres vs Dodgers Odds Preview: MLB Divisional Clash
• Guardians vs Giants Betting Preview: It’s Now or Never for San Fran in Playoff Race