Rays vs Padres Betting Odds: San Diego Battles Baseball’s Best

The Tampa Bay Rays keep humming. At 50-22, the Rays reached 50 wins in the fewest games in team history. They remain first place in the American League East, and it doesn’t seem as if anyone is capable of catching them. Aside from owning baseball’s best record, the Rays are first in stolen bases (91) and second in both home runs (115) and ERA (3.53). They’ve outscored opponents by a whopping 142 runs.

In essence, they’re what the San Diego Padres, with their $246 million payroll, were supposed to be. Instead, the Padres rank among baseball’s biggest disappointments at 33-35.

Can the Padres get back on track? Tampa Bay visits Petco Park for a three-game set this weekend. The Padres opened as slight -120 favorites to win the series, with the Rays priced at -110. Read on as we assess the Rays vs Padres betting odds.

Tatis Heating Up

It sure didn’t take long for Fernando Tatis Jr. to knock off the rust. After missing all last season with a fractured wrist, then getting suspended for performance-enhancing drugs, the 24-year-old outfielder is rounding back into form. Across 48 games this season, Tatis is batting .280 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI. He’s also stolen 11 bases. He leads the Padres in all those categories, in addition to making a relatively seamless transition defensively from shortstop.

Tatis’ success atop the lineup should make things easier for Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Co. However, the Padres continue to underwhelm offensively. They rank 23rd in runs (291), 27th in average (.227) and 17th in OPS (.718).

Magnifying those issues is Machado, who is off to the worst start of his terrific career. The six-time All-Star currently owns a career-low .413 slugging percentage and .713 OPS, though he’s homered in back-to-back games. Keep that in mind as you assess the Rays vs Padres betting odds.

Fairbanks Back and Bruised

Tampa Bay closer Pete Fairbanks returned from the Injured List (hip inflammation) to notch a save in Thursday’s 4-3 win over Oakland. It was the sixth save in seven tries for Fairbanks, who’s posted a 1.42 ERA.

Interestingly, Fairbanks was sporting a black eye. According to the right-hander, that injury occurred during a basketball game with his 3-year-old son in the swimming pool.

Atop the Oddsboard

The Rays opened the season by stringing together the longest win streak in baseball at 13 games. They’ve managed to stay hot since then, building a 5.0-game lead over Baltimore atop the AL East. At 50-22, they still own baseball’s best record.

Based on that, it’s no surprise oddsmakers remain bullish on them going forward. The Rays are currently a +550 co-favorite to win the World Series, matching Atlanta. San Diego, meanwhile, has dropped to +1800.

Tampa Bay is also, of course, atop the oddsboard for both the AL pennant (+275) and division (-400).

Game 1

• Yu Darvish vs Shane McClanahan (Friday, 9:40 p.m. ET)

Darvish has won his last two starts, though his ERA (4.30) is still nearly a run higher than his career mark of 3.54. His counterpart, McClanahan, has been among the best pitchers in baseball this MLB season. McClanahan leads the majors in wins (10), is second in ERA (2.18) and ranks in the top 15 in strikeouts (92). At +300, he’s currently the betting favorite to win his first AL Cy Young.

Tampa Bay is a -1.5 favorite (+165) on the run line, while both MLB teams are priced at -110 on the moneyline. The projected total is 8, per Rays vs Padres betting odds.

Game 2

• Blake Snell vs Zach Eflin (Saturday, 7:15 p.m. ET)

Snell is good to go against his former team after getting hit in the ankle by a comebacker during his last start. Despite the injury, Snell turned in one of his best starts of the season, striking out 12 Rockies over seven innings. He allowed only one run on three hits and did not walk a batter. For the season, Snell is 2-6 with a 3.78 ERA.

Eflin is 8-2 with a 3.28 ERA in his first year with Tampa Bay. He currently has the best K/BB rate (6.5) of his career.

Game 3

• Joe Musgrove vs TBD (Sunday, 4:10 p.m. ET)

Musgrove is still rounding into form after toe and elbow injuries, posting a 4.37 ERA over nine starts. Tampa Bay has yet to announce a starter for the series finale.

For MLB odds, betting analysis and more, visit pointspreads.com

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