Tampa Bay Favored Again
In case you missed the MLB news, the Detroit Tigers were one of five teams to get shut out on Opening Day. They had a tough time with Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan.
On Saturday, they’ll face Zach Eflin, the highest-paid free agent that the Rays have ever splurged on. Can they get to him or will the Rays win again?
Tigers Turning to Turnbull
The Detroit Tigers will send out Spencer Turnbull to the mound after they failed to come away with a win in their Thursday matchup. Turnbull is coming off a mediocre run in spring training.
He appeared in four games, pitching 12.0 innings and allowing 10 hits and six runs during that span. He hasn’t seen much of the Rays as the current batting order has just nine at-bats against him.
If you’re looking at the MLB odds, keep in mind that the Rays do have four hits in those 10 at-bats. Last season, Turnbull went 4-2 across 50.0 total innings pitched and held onto a good 2.88 ERA with 44 strikeouts.
All Eyes on Eflin
The Tampa Bay Rays don’t often splurge in free agency, so when they handed out a three-year, $40 million contract to Eflin – the largest in franchise history – it surprised some people.
A lot of MLB betting handicappers will be watching attentively to see how things turn out. He didn’t have a great warm-up run at all throughout spring training. He appeared in 8.2 innings across three games and allowed nine hits and six runs.
Eflin had a mediocre stat line with the Philadelphia Phillies a year ago, though he thrived when he played at home. In home appearances, he was 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA across 41.2 innings. On the road, he was 1-4 with a 6.88 ERA during 34.0 innings.
Tigers vs Rays Game Injuries
Tigers vs Rays Head-to-Head
The Rays have had the Tigers’ number over the last couple of seasons, going 6-2 in their last eight matchups. The Rays are also 5-3 in the last eight meetings at home.
Tigers vs Rays Game Information
- Game: Tigers (0-1) Rays (1-0)
- Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
- Day/Time: Saturday, April 1, 4:10 p.m. ET
- Tigers vs Rays Live Stream: MLB.tv
Tigers vs Rays Betting Lines
Tigers vs Rays Picks and Prediction
Taking a look at this game in the sportsbook, the lean is toward the Rays coming away with a second straight victory against Detroit. Neither pitcher instilled a ton of confidence in spring training.
Taking a look at previous stats, the Rays cashed often for MLB picks in this range, going 42-20 as a home favorite of -125 to -175 over the last three seasons.
However, it feels like over is the better choice for sports bets. The Tigers’ offense should bounce back here and the Rays should get some runs off of Turnbull. Go over the number.
Tampa Bay is listed a -173 in our Vegas lines. So, if you wager $100 on the Rays, there’s a chance to win $58. Detroit is +153 with a chance to win $153 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Tigers a 39.53% chance to win, with the Rays at 63.37%.
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Tigers vs Rays Edge
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Tigers vs Rays Game Summary
