Braves vs. Rays prediction and odds for Sunday, July 9

The Tampa Bay Rays were the best team in baseball at the start of the season, but not anymore.

The Atlanta Braves have grabbed the throne and they’re making a statement this weekend as they go for the sweep in Tampa today. Yesterday was a 6-1 win and today the Braves are actually underdogs on the road. The Braves are 60-28, the best record in baseball.

The  57-35 Rays are favored despite the pitching matchup of Bryce Elder and Zach Eflin. Elder has made 17 starts for Atlanta and is 7-1 with a 2.45 ERA while Eflin is 9-4 with a 3.24 ERA in 16 starts for the Rays. These are still the top two teams in baseball, so let’s get into the odds for Game 3 with the Braves on the verge of a sweep.

Braves vs. Rays odds, run line and total

Braves vs. Rays prediction and pick

The Tampa Bay Rays from April and May are not the real Tampa Bay Rays. This version also might not be the real Rays either, they’re likely somewhere in the middle. Over the last 30 days this team has been flat out bad. After the two losses this weekend the Rays are 10-16 over the past 30 days while the Braves are 21-4 over that same stretch.

For this most recent 30-day sample size the Rays are 14th in team ERA at 4.13 and 26th in team OPS at .700. Their 116 runs scored ranks 20th in baseball and their 25 home runs are 21st. This team has completely fallen apart offensively after dominating the rest of the league this spring.

Meanwhile the Braves are an absolute juggernaut that is running away with the best record in the league. Bryce Elder is the type of pitcher I would typically fade because of his very high FIP of 3.79 compared to his 2.45 ERA.

I actually favor Eflin in terms of the starting pitching matchup, but the Rays are being overvalued like they’re still the team from April and May. The Braves are the best team in baseball and if I can get them at plus odds I’ll take that any day.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change