Giants prediction, pick, how to watch

It is the rubber match of a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays and San Francisco Giants. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Giants prediction, pick, and how to watch.

In game one, the Rays took a 10-2 victory as Tyler Glasnow was solid in six innings of work, only giving up a run. Still, yesterday it was a shutout for the Giants as they took game two. Thario Estrada and Wilmer Flores both drove in runs in the sixth innings to break up a scoreless game, while Jakob Junis and Sean Manaea went the first 7.1 innings without giving up a run. The Rays struggled with the strikeout yesterday. They struck out 15 times yesterday, including three each for Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley.

Still, the Rays have control in their chase for the playoffs. They are currently in the top Wild Card spot in the American League with a 4.5-game lead in the Wild Card chase. They are also just three games out of first in the AL East. Meanwhile, the Giants also hold a Wild Card spot, with a 1.5-game lead over the Cubs and Reds who are chasing. Their hopes for the NL West are fading though. The Dodgers have won nine in a row and now have a nine-game lead over the Giants in the division.

Here are the Rays-Giants MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Rays-Giants Odds

Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+152)

San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-184)

Over: 8.5 (-105)

Under: 8.5 (-115)

How To Watch Rays vs. Giants

TV: BSSUN/NBCSBA

Stream: MLB.TV/ESPN+

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Time: 3:45 PM ET/ 12:45 PM PT

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Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread

Even though they were shut out yesterday, the Rays have been carried this year by a stellar offense. They are fourth in runs scored this year, while also sitting fourth in slugging. The Rays are eighth in batting average and ninth in on-base percentage as well. Wander Franco has been hitting hot. In the last week, he had hit .500 with two home runs and five RBIs. The Rays will be without him in this one though. He is still on the restricted list due to some social media posts that went viral. Still, the Rays have plenty of bats to fill the void. In the last week, Jose Siri has two home runs and four RBIs. He is hitting .263, while also hitting two doubles. Still, Siri has just scored twice this past week, both off of his home runs.

While Randy Arozarena is not hitting greater, just .259 in the last week, he is causing some issues when he gets on the base path. He is getting on at a .355 rate in the last week and has stolen three bases. Arozarena has also hit two doubles and drove in two runs while scoring five times. Harold Ramirez may have the hottest bat in the lineup right now. He is hitting .389 in the last week with a .400 on-base percentage. Ramirez does have one extra-base hit, a triple. He has also driven in three runs and scored three times in the last week.

The Rays will send Aaron Civale to the mound today in this one. He is 5-3 on the season with a 2.61 ERA. He has now made two starts for the Rays. In the first one, he went just 4.1 innings, giving up three runs and taking the loss. In the next start, he went five innings and gave up two runs, taking a no-decision as the Rays won. As a member of the Rays, he has a 4.82 ERA, which is a far cry from what he did in July. In July, Civale made six starts, going 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA.

Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread

While the Rays have been led by their offense, it is the pitching that has been good for the Giants. They are ninth in team ERA this year while sitting sixth in WHIP, but 20th in opponent batting average. Ryan Walker will be taking the mound today to start for the Giants. He will be used as an opener today, as he is a primary reliever. This year he is 4-1 with a 2.28 ERA. This month he has been stellar. Walker has pitched 7.1 innings with two starts and six appearances this month. He has given up just one run in those games and has a 1.23 ERA.

The Giants also have some very hot bats going right now. That starts with Michael Conforto. In the last week, he is hitting .556 with a .626 on-base percentage. He has two home runs and two doubles leading to three RBIs in the last week. Conforto has also scored five times this past week. Leading the team in RBIs in the last week have been Thairo Estrada and Patrick Bailey. Estrada is hitting .320 in the last week with a home run and two doubles. That gives him four RBIs in the last week, but his only run scored was from his home run.

Meanwhile, Bailey also has four RBIs in the last week. He has done this while hitting .238 with a .333 on-base percentage. Bailey had just one extra-base hit in the last week, which is a home run. He has also scored just twice in the last week. Michael Conforto leads the team in runs in the last week, but Wilmer Flores is scoring as well. He has three runs scored in the last week while hitting a double and a home run with two RBIs. Still, it has been boom or bust for Flores. He has just two hits in his last 16 at-bats, both of them for extra bases and leading to him scoring.

Final Rays-Giants Prediction & Pick

This should be a solid game between two solid teams. The Giants are going to make this a bullpen game to match up with Aaron Civale. That may be a good thing for them. The Giants have a 3.70 ERA this year out of the bullpen, which is in the top ten in the league. It worked well for them yesterday and could work well again today. The Rays are missing Wander Franco, and Manuel Margot just went out with an injury.  That means two major bats are missing from their line-up. With that, the best pick today is the Giants.

Final Rays-Giants Prediction & Pick: Giants +1.5 (-184)