ODDS ANALYSIS
A trip to Florida is just what the Indians needed after losing three straight and seven of nine. Cleveland took the first two of the series with the Rays behind outstanding pitching performances and their offense came alive with 13 runs in the two games after getting blanked in both games of Sunday’s doubleheader.
The Tribe won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game win streak from May 30-June 2. Cleveland has lost five straight games started by Cory Kluber and is just 3-13 in his 16 starts.
Not too long ago the Rays looked like they were going to run away with the AL East. Not so fast. Tampa Bay has struggled mightily going 2-6 on its current homestand, down 5.46 units, falling into a virtual tie for first place after Tuesday’s loss. The Rays have been fantastic on the road, but not so much at home, where they fell to 20-23 in the red 6.89 units on the moneyline. After winning the first two of the season series by identical 4-1 scores, the Rays dropped the next three to the Tribe scoring three runs total.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Cory Kluber (3-9, 3.66 ERA) racked up 10 strikeouts over seven innings in a no-decision Friday at Baltimore. The reigning Cy Young winner allowed three runs on seven hits and recorded 10 or more whiffs for the fifth time this season throwing 111 pitches.
Kluber suffered his first career loss to the Rays in four starts by giving up four hits and four runs over seven innings on June 20. He’s 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 29 Ks in 23.2 innings lifetime against Tampa Bay.
Matt Moore (0-0, NA) makes his long-awaited return to the Rays’ rotation after a 14-month absence since undergoing Tommy John surgery on Apr. 22, 2014. He struck out eight while allowing two runs over five innings for Triple-A Durham on Saturday in his final rehab start.
In four career starts against Cleveland he’s 2-1 with a 3.78 ERA. Moore tossed a perfect inning in an abbreviated start due to rain at Cleveland on May 31, 2013 in his last appearance against the Indians. He was matched with Kluber in that game, a 9-2 Rays win.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“Bottom line is we’re losing ball games. It doesn’t matter if you get one hit, no hits or 10 hits – if you’re not scoring any runs, a loss is a loss. Offensively we’re not clicking. So it’s just kind of a recipe for disaster when you get some good pitching and offensively you’re not hitting on all cylinders.” – Rays’ Evan Longoria after Tuesday’s 6-2 loss
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
For the third time in six games the Rays, incredibly, flirted with being on the wrong end of a perfect game, retired in order through the first five innings Tuesday by Cleveland’s Danny Salazar. On June 24, Toronto’s Marco Estrada kept them without a baserunner into the eighth inning, retiring the first 22. On Monday, Indians rookie Cody Anderson kept them without a baserunner into the seventh, retiring the first 19. Through the first two games of this series they logged a total of five hits. Punchless, anemic, slumping, whatever you want to call them the Rays are in a bad way. Reinforcements could be on the way with James Loney and John Jaso starting rehab assignments and probably still a week away.
PROP TALK
Jason Kipnis continued to be a menace to Rays pitching with one of three Cleveland home runs in Tuesday’s win. Kipnis is batting a MLB-high .397 since the start of May and has 10 hits in 19 at-bats with two three-hit games through the first five games of the season series. Over his career Kipnis hits .349 against the Rays and is a .313 hitter in eight career games at Tropicana Field. Kipnis will likely be in the middle of any Indians rally and could add to his team-high runs scored total.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
It hasn’t been easy for the Rays to score runs lately and it isn’t getting any easier against last year’s AL Cy Young winner Cory Kluber, who was the tough-luck loser when the teams met in Cleveland on June 20. Kluber gave up just four hits but was touched for four runs, with three coming on a first inning Evan Longoria home run. Kluber has been good against the Rays and will benefit facing the slumping team. Tampa Bay gets a potential ace back in the rotation in Matt Moore, but questions remain after his Tommy John surgery.
Cleveland 4, Tampa Bay 2
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the Cleveland Indians versus the Tampa Bay Rays will commence Thursday, July 2, 2015, at 12:10 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. The game will be televised live on STO.
