Rays-Mariners prediction, odds, pick, how to watch
The Tampa Bay Rays square off with the Seattle Mariners in a rubber match Sunday afternoon. This game will continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Mariners prediction and pick. We will let you know how to watch, as well.
The two games in this series have been pretty lopsided. The Rays took game one 15-4 while Seattle won game two 8-3. Tampa Bay was held to just five hits in game two, but they recorded 16 hits in their win. Christian Bethancourt has four hits, including two doubles. Four different hitters for the Rays have three hits in the two games. Luke Raley, Josh Lowe, Randy Arozarena and Jose Siri all have home runs in this series. On the mound, Tampa Bay has 19 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. Tyler Glasgow has 11 of those strikeouts. They do have a 1.71 WHIP in the series, though.
Seattle is batting .288 as a team in the two games played. J.P Crawford has four hits, including a home run to lead the team. Tom Murphy has the other home run for the Mariners. Three different players in the Mariners' limeup have three hits in the two games played, as well. On the mound, Seattle has walked just six batters and struck out 18. Their bullpen has allowed 13 of the 17 runs given up and has just five strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings pitched.
Taj Bradley will get the start against Luis Castillo for the third and final game of this series.
Here are the Rays-Mariners MLB odds,
MLB Odds: Rays-Mariner Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: +1.5 (-192)
Seattle Mariners: -1.5 (+158)
Over: 7.5 (-114)
Under: 7.5 (-106)
How To Watch Rays vs. Mariners
TV: Bally Sports Sun, Root Sports Northwest
Stream: MLB TV Subscription
Time: 4:10 PM ET/1:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
Taj Bradley is a strikeout pitcher and the Mariners strike out a lot. Seattle has the third most strikeouts in the MLB, so Bradley should be able to rack them up in this game. If Bradley can record some strikeouts, the Mariners will struggle to score and the Rays will cover the spread.
The Mariners are also third to last in batting average. They do not get hits often. Bradley allows opponents to hit .248 off him this season. That number is not great, but it certainly is not bad. Bradley should come into this game with a lot of confidence and be able to shut down the Mariners and help Tampa Bay cover the spread.
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
Luis Castillo is one of the better pitchers out there. He is coming off a solid June. He made five starts, allowed just 24 hits and had a 3.23 ERA. On the season, Castillo is holding opponents to a .207 batting average. The Rays are one of the better offensive teams in the MLB, but Castillo has no fears when he is on the mound. If he can keep the Rays off base and keep the hits to a minimum, the Mariners will cover the spread.
Seattle does strikeout a lot, but Taj Bradley tends to give up some runs. He allowed 24 hits in 23 innings in June and gave up 18 total runs. Bradley has a lot of potential, but he is still raw. The Mariners have been hitting the ball well in this series. If they can string together some hits against Bradley, the strikeouts will not matter as much. Seattle just needs to score.
Final Rays-Mariners Prediction & Pick
This is a tough game to call. Two good pitchers on the mound. However, the Rays are the underdog in the game. Seattle is just 7-9 when Castillo pitches and they have lost four of his last five starts. With the Rays as the underdogs, I expect them to cover the spread, even if they do not win.
Final Rays-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Rays +1.5 (-192), Over 7.5 (-114)
