Rays Look To Bounce Back From Loss to Tigers, Secure AL East Title

While the Tampa Bay Rays (96-63, 83-76 RL, 74-83-2 O/U), fell to the Detroit Tigers (72-86, 72-85 RL, 76-74-7 O/U), 7-5 on Thursday, delaying their claiming of the AL East title for at least another day, the feisty Rays fully expect to bounce back tonight while showing the incredible resiliency they’ve shown all season long while fighting off numerous contenders.

"That was a tough scheduling situation - four games in three days and a short night last night," Rays' manager Joe Maddon said. "I'm proud of how much energy our guys showed today, but I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep."

The Rays can clinch the division with a win or a Boston loss tonight and say their goal is to do just that despite the fact that they have already secured a spot in the postseason.

"Our goal at the beginning of this year was to win the American League East," Maddon said. "We still want to do that, and we want home-field advantage, because we play so well at the Trop."

The Rays will send Andy Sonnanstine, (13-8, 4.27 ERA), to the bump looking to shake off an 0-2 mark over his last six starts although he has posted a respectable 3.82 ERA during the span.

Sonnanstine got another tough-luck loss in his last start, allowing just two earned runs in 6.2 inning but walking away the loser in a 4-1 loss. Sonnanstine has gotten just two total runs of support over his last three starts.

"It's tough," Sonnanstine told the Rays' official Web site, "but there's nothing I can do about that."

The Tigers, who snapped a six-game losing streak with Thursday’s win, will counter with right-hander Justin Verlander (10-17, 4.87), who leads the AL in losses.

Verlander has gone an atrocious 0-4 with a 7.92 ERA over. his last five starts and gave up four runs on five hits in Detroit’s 6-3 loss to the Indians on Saturday.

Here is a look at tonight’s key online sports wagering trends followed by my analysis and MLB online betting Free Picks.

The Rays are 4-0 in Sonnanstine’s last four starts during game two of a series.

The Rays are 8-1 in Sonnanstine’s last nine starts following a team loss in their previous game.

The Tigers are 2-5 in Verlander’s last seven starts when their opponent scores five runs or more in their previous game.

The Tigers are 2-5 in Verlander's last seven home starts vs. a team with a winning record.

The Under is 5-1 in Sonnanstine’s last six road starts vs. a team with a losing record.

The Under is 6-1-1 in Verlander’s last eight Friday starts.

The Rays are 5-1 in the last six meetings.

The Over is 5-2-1 in the last eight meetings.

MLB Odds

Tampa Bay Rays +1½ -210

Andy Sonnanstine –R -105

Detroit Tigers -1½ +175

Justin Verlander –R -115

Over 9 -120

Under 9 Ev

Analysis: Okay BetUS MLB baseball bettors, I say take the Tampa Bay Rays to bounce back from last night’s loss with a huge win in this contest as they finally give Andy Sonnanstine some solid run support - and he throws another gem.

MLB Free Picks: Rays 6 Tigers 3