They’re not going to win the AL East but the Tampa Bay Rays are in the thick of the wild card race to continue their run of postseason appearances. Despite a recent rough patch the Rays are holding onto one of three wild card spots, though that can and will change daily until the end of the season. The Rays can improve their chances by beating teams below them in the overall standings and they have an opportunity to do that on Thursday in the opener of a four-game set against the Detroit Tigers in a game televised on FS1.
First pitch for this AL matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers is set for 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 4, 2022. The game will air live on FS1 from Comerica Park. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game of the MLB season.
MLB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Their run of two straight division titles looks like it’s coming to an end, but the Rays can extend their playoff streak to four consecutive seasons, quite a feat for a team void of superstars. Should they qualify for the postseason the Rays would equal their number of appearances from the previous 21 seasons. Not bad for a team that claims to not have a budget to compete with the bigger market clubs.
We can’t get them in just yet, though, and the Rays are making things tougher on themselves. They closed July with a loss to Cleveland, their seventh setback in 10 games since the All-Star break, and have yet to win a post-break series falling to 54-48. The teams met back in May with Tampa taking two of three outscoring the Tigers 16-5. A staple of the Rays success over the past few years has been depth and they will be tested. Mike Zunino and Kevin Kiermaier are done for the year and Wander Franco is sidelined with a wrist injury. And the offense has struggled averaging just 4.12 runs with a .689 OPS. They did bust out against the Tigers earlier scoring 14 runs over the final two games cashing the OVER both times.
There was some talk at the start of the season that the Tigers could be contenders in the AL Central. They won 77 games last year and appeared poised for a breakout. Alas, it never materialized and it’s back to playing spoiler. They ended a four-game slide out of the break but proceeded to lose their next three and dropped eight of their first 11 games following the All-Star pause. It’s been nearly a month since the Tigers won consecutive games going 5-16 since a season-best six-game winning streak.
When you struggle to score runs and get opponents out, things usually don’t turn out well. The Tigers rank near the bottom of MLB averaging just 3.21 runs with a .619 OPS. A lack of power coupled with a lowly .227 team batting average has prevented them from offensive outbursts. Pitching has been slightly better and things could be much worse if not for a bullpen that has a collective 3.03 ERA and the highest save percentage in baseball.
Probable Pitchers
It looks like the Rays found a spot for Jeffrey Springs (3-3, 2.70 ERA). Used strictly in relief last season, his first with Tampa, the lefty worked his way into the rotation putting up solid numbers in his 13 starts. In 103 games between 2018 and 2021, Springs made just two starts, but has evolved into one of the best on the Rays this year. He made the jump after tossing 10.1 shutout innings in eight relief appearances and while he hasn’t been as dominant, he’s been steady boasting a 3.13 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 63 innings in 13 starts. The Rays emerged victorious in nine of his first 11 starts but have dropped the last two with little run support.
It’s been a roller coaster of a season and career for Drew Hutchison (1-4, 4.53 ERA), who is scheduled to take the bump. He’s been DFA’d a few times this season only to persevere and get back to the bigs. His first 10 appearances were all out of the pen and if not for one shaky outing where he allowed four runs his numbers would look much better. His last seven appearances have all been starts with a 4.50 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 34 innings. He’s not going deep into games since he completed six innings just once, but he is coming off his best start giving up two hits and a run over five frames taking a ND in a loss to Toronto.
Rays at Tigers MLB Odds Pick
Though the Rays have slumped out of the break they are still a good team that relies on pitching. And the Tigers haven’t done much all season at the plate struggling against left-handed starters. One bright spot for the Tigers is their bullpen, but that could take a hit at the trade deadline leaving little for fans in MoTown to cheer about.
MLB Odds Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays / OVER
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