Chris Sale and the Braves (36-30) will host the Rays (33-36) on Friday, with this one getting started at 7:20 PM ET from Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. Tampa Bay is starting Zack Littell, and they are the underdog on the money line (+178). The Braves are the heavy favorite at -212, and the over/under line is sitting at 8.5 runs.
Atlanta is currently 2nd in the NL East, while the Rays are 5th in the AL East. BSSUN will be televising this interleague matchup.
Rays Look to Gain Ground in AL East as Littell Takes the Mound,
The Tampa Bay Rays are 33-36 overall and trail the Yankees by 15 games for the AL East lead. They are 10-17 in divisional games this season. Zack Littell gets the start for the Rays today, and he is 2-4 with a 3.63 ERA. Overall, the Rays are 28-41 against the run line, with a scoring margin of -0.9 runs per game. Their over/under record is 34-33, and the over/under line for today’s game is set at 8.5 runs.
Yandy Díaz has been hot at the plate for the Rays, hitting .400 over his last seven games. He is currently on a seven-game hitting streak. The Rays are 26th in scoring, averaging 3.9 runs per game. Isaac Paredes leads the team with 38 RBI. The Rays have a 19-23 record at home this year, and they are 14-13 on the road. They are coming off a series win vs. the Cubs, and their series record is 10-10-2.
Braves Look to End Skid as Chris Sale Aims for Redemption Against Nationals,
The Braves are 36-30 this season and are 9 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. They are 12-11 in divisional matchups and have gone 19-12 at home compared to 17-18 on the road. Atlanta has won 34 of 59 games as the favorite, and they have lost four straight games in that role.
Chris Sale will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Nationals, as he gets the start for the Braves today. For the season, he is 8-2 with a 3.01 ERA and has a WHIP of .94. Sale is averaging 11.09 strikeouts per nine innings and has seven quality starts out of 12. The Braves’ offense has been average this season, with their runs per game at home and on the road both around 4.3. They are 11th in batting average and 13th in OPS. Marcell Ozuna has been hot, hitting .429 over his last 7 games, and he leads the team in batting average, on-base percentage, home runs, and RBIs. Matt Olson is on a 7-game hitting streak and has 10 home runs and 37 RBIs this season.
Rays Offer Great Value at +178: Predicted 5-4 Win Over Sale and Red Sox,
Given the payout, we really like the Rays to pick up a win on the money line, as they are currently sitting at +178. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Rays, and with the payout, we see this as a great value pick.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Chris Sale finishing with eight strikeouts, which is the second-best among all starters. However, we have him finishing with an ERA of 3.50, which is higher than his current payout to win the Cy Young.
