Brendan O’Sullivan dives into his pick and prediction for the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Tampa Bay Rays game on Saturday, June 27.
The Diamondbacks and Rays play the second game of their three-game series on Saturday, June 27.
Tampa Bay is a -148 moneyline favorite, while Arizona is +123 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at over/under 8.5 runs.
Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Diamondbacks vs. Rays game.
Besides the Yankees, the Rays are the only other standout club in the American League this season. They’re 46-33, which is one game back from the AL East lead, and 7.5 atop the Wild Card chase. Even with such an advantage, the Rays are only +18 in run differential, which is tied with the 42-38 Chicago White Sox.
The benefit of this series is that Arizona is -25 in run differential and 41-40 overall this year. The National League has a few more true contenders, but that doesn’t excuse the Diamondbacks’ inability to consistently win games. Since they went 11-2 in mid-to-late May to improve to 31-24, the Diamondbacks haven’t won more than two games in a row and are 10-16. The Rays lost a step during this stretch as well, going from 34-15 to 46-33, a 12-18 run for the AL Wild Card leaders.
The good news for Tampa Bay is that it’s on a three-game win streak, including Friday’s series opener against Arizona. Additionally, the team is at home, where they’ve been significantly better (29-12 vs. 17-21 on the road). The bad news is that it’s a bullpen day, and the Rays have the 22nd best bullpen ERA in the majors.
Arizona, on the other hand, is sending Jose Cabrera to the mound for his second career start. He pitched five scoreless innings against the Twins on June 21, and will look to follow that up against the Rays. The 24-year-old threw 62 pitches in his debut, so look for a potentially larger workload today.
While the Rays are the better team and on a three-game win streak, the Diamondbacks have the intrigue of a young starting pitcher. His lack of MLB starts may prove beneficial since there isn’t a lot of film to study.
Additionally, the Rays’ bullpen is a below-average unit and will be heavily worked tonight with Cole Sulser serving as the opener.
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