Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/09/2024

Game Time: 6:50 pm ET, Friday, August 9, 2024

Venue:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Where to Watch:  BSSUN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Orioles -135, Rays +114; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Orioles -135, Rays +115; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Orioles -135, Rays +115; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Baltimore Orioles:  68-47 (1st place, AL East)

Tampa Bay Rays:  57-56 (4th place, AL East)

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Baltimore Orioles:  6-4 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  5-5 last 10

The Orioles split their 4-game series against the Cleveland Guardians 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 68-47 record overall and have a road record of 34-22. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Rays on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Toronto Blue Jays still to be played on Thursday. The Orioles lost the series opener of that series on Tuesday and won the 2nd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .772 OPS. Dean Kremer is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Zach Eflin is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 7-7 with a 4.05 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 3 Ks on 5 hits through 6.1 IP against the Cleveland Guardians.

The Rays won their 3-game series against the Houston Astros 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 57-56 record overall and have a home record of 30-29. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Orioles on Friday with the 3rd game of their series against the St Louis Cardinals still to be played on Thursday. The Rays lost the 1st game of that series on Tuesday and the 2nd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 23rd in the MLB with a .686 OPS. Shane Baz is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Zack Littell is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-7 with a 4.06 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 1 BB with 3 strikeouts on 4 hits through 5.2 innings played against the Houston Astros.

The current betting odds have the Orioles listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Orioles have looked great in their games this season with their 68-47 record overall which has them tied for 1st place in the AL East with the Yankees with one of the best records in the entire MLB. They have looked great in their road games with their 34-22 road record and they are fighting to keep the lead in the AL East over the Yankees. Meanwhile, the Rays haven't looked great in their games this season with their 57-56 record overall which has them in 4th place of the AL East and out of the playoff race. They haven't looked that great in their home games either, going 30-29 in those. They are going to have Littell on the mound in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 5-7 with a 4.06 ERA and has been really up and down this year. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and the team has won 2 games in a row with him starting, but the Orioles have one of the best offenses in the MLB and they are going to do some damage here. The Orioles are going with Eflin in this one and Eflin spent the first half of the season with the Rays before getting traded. He is 7-7 with a 4.05 ERA and hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts lately. His team has won 2 games in a row with him starting and he only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start. He has also been up and down this season, but lately he has looked really good in his starts and will be trying to have a great outing against his former team now that he is on a playoff contender. The Orioles also have one of the best offenses in the MLB to help him out here while the Rays have struggled on offense all season. The best way to place a bet here is on the Orioles to win this game. 

Orioles Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 9, 2024 (6:50 pm ET start time) is Orioles 5 Rays 2.

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Baltimore Orioles: 19-23 (-12.95 units) on the moneyline in their last 42 games. 3-8 (-5.75 units) on the first 5 moneyline in their last 11 away games. 

Tampa Bay Rays: 24-17 (+6.45 units) on the moneyline in their last 41 games. 29-14 (+13.70 units) on the runline in their last 43 games. 

Baltimore Orioles:  J. Webb (SP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. G. Rodriguez (SP) Out indefinitely - Back. J. Westburg (3B) Out indefinitely - Hand. J. Mateo (SS) Out indefinitely - Elbow. D. Coulombe (RP) Late Sep - Elbow. K. Bradish (SP) out for season - Elbow. T. Wells (SP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. J. Means (SP) out for season - Elbow. F. Bautista (RP) out for season - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  R. Palacios (LF) Out indefinitely - Knee. R. Pepiot (SP) Out indefinitely - Knee. R. Lovelady (RP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. J. Waguespack (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. W. Franco (SS) Out indefinitely - Poss. Suspension. S. McClanahan (SP) out for season - Elbow.

“Tonight he carried us offensively and makes the catch of the game.” - Brandon Hyde on Anthony Santander after his team’s win against the Blue Jays in their game on Wednesday.

“We're not getting the big hit. We've got to find a way to get that hit. It's back-to-back nights where it seems we're like one big hit away from getting back in the ballgame. It's just not coming easy right now.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s loss against the Cardinals in their game on Wednesday.

C Cowser (L) CF

A Santander (S) RF

G Henderson (L) SS

R O'Hearn (L) LF

A Rutschman (S) C

R Mountcastle (R) 1B

E Jiménez (R) DH

J Holliday (L) 2B

C Mayo (R) 3B

Y Díaz (R) 1B

B Lowe (L) 2B

C Morel (R) DH

J Lowe (L) RF

D Carlson (S) LF

J Siri (R) CF

J Caballero (R) SS

C Mead (R) 3B

A Jackson (R) C

Batting Average:  Cristian Pache (1.000)

Hits:  Gunnar Henderson (129)

Home Runs:  Anthony Santander (34)

RBI:  Anthony Santander (78)

Stolen Bases:  Cedric Mullins (19)

Wins:  Grayson Rodriguez (13)

Saves:  Craig Kimbrel (23)

ERA:  Vinny Nittoli (0.00)

Batting Average:  Amed Rosario (.307)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (115)

Home Runs:  Jose Siri (14)

RBI:  Yandy Díaz (50)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (30)

Wins:  Garrett Cleavinger (7)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (21)

ERA:  Joel Kuhnel (0.00)

Managers:

Baltimore Orioles: Brandon Hyde (6th season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (10th season)