MLB Betting Predictions Orioles vs Rays Series

The top two teams in the American League East will meet up for a huge four-game series starting Thursday in Tampa. Heading into Wednesday’s action, the San Diego Padres held the top spot in the division with a 60-38 record.

The Rays have lost three straight games, though, and dropped seven out of their last ten overall. The lead over Toronto has dropped to 5.5 games in the divisional standings.

For Baltimore, they have lost back-to-back games after winning eight straight. The Orioles started Wednesday with a 57-37 mark. Baltimore is just a game back of the Rays in the division.

The Orioles are 28-17 when playing on the road this season, while they face a Tampa Bay team that has won 35 out of 50 at home.

Check out how that will affect their MLB betting lines for this week’s Dodgers @ Padres series along with analysis and free picks for all four matchups.

MLB Betting Predictions for Complete Dodgers @ Padres Series | MyBookie Regular Season Baseball Preview

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Series: Thursday, July 20th to Sunday, July 23rd, 2023
AL East Matchup

Pitching Matchups

Here are the projected pitching matchups for the four-game series:

Thursday
Tyler Glasnow vs. Kyle Gibson

Glasnow for the Rays is 3-3 on the season, with a 2.78 earned run average. He is coming off a strong performance against the Royals in his last outing. Glasnow has struck out 45 batters over his last five starts, spanning 26.2 innings. He struggled in his last outing against the Orioles back on June 20, allowing six hits over 4.1 innings.

Gibson is seeking his 10th win this season for Baltimore. He is 9-6 on the season, with a 4.77 earned run average. Gibson has struck out 90 batters in 115 innings this season. He has won his last two starts, including an outing against the Twins, where he struck out 11 batters.

Friday
Zach Eflin vs. Kyle Bradish

Eflin is 10-5 this season for Tampa Bay. The 29-year-old from Orlando has put together the best season of his career. His numbers have been fantastic, with 105 strikeouts to just 15 walks on the season. In saying that – he was roughed up in his last outing at Kansas City, lasting just three innings.

Bradish will take the mound looking to give the Orioles more quality innings. So far, the 26-year-old has thrown 91.1 innings and has a 6-4 record and a 3.05 earned run average. In his last four starts, Bradish has gone at least six innings or more.

Saturday
Shane McClanahan vs. Grayson Rodriguez

The Rays send their ace to the mound. McClanahan, who is from Baltimore, has made just one start since returning from the injured list. In that start, he struck out six Rangers over six innings. On the season, the lefthander has 107 strikeouts in 102 innings. He is 11-1 this season.

For Rodriguez, his season has been a struggle. The 23-year-old is 2-2, with a 7.33 earned run average. He has made 11 starts this season and allowed 13 home runs. His last outing was against the Dodgers, where he went five innings and allowed four runs.

Sunday: Taj Bradley vs. Tyler Wells

Bradley is a talented 22-year-old right-hander. He has taken his lumps this season, but his stuff can be electric. Taj went five innings at Texas on July 18, allowing five hits and two runs but striking out nine Rangers in the game. On the season, Bradley has struck out 89 batters over 66.1 innings pitched.

For Tyler Wells, he is making his 19th start. He was roughed up in his last outing against the Dodgers, so he hopes to return to form. His three starts before that were all consistent, with six innings and just two earned runs allowed.

Keys to the Series

Randy Arozerna and Yandy Diaz – the bats for the San Diego Padres. After their quick start to the season, the Rays need a re-set and figure it out offensively.

Tampa Bay is scoring less than four runs per game over their last five games, and during the three-game losing streak, they are down to three per game.

If the Rays are going to find their bats, these are the two that have to do it. Arozarena leads the team with 17 home runs, while Diaz is hitting .318. The Rays have eight guys on their roster with double-digit home runs this season. Baltimore’s pitching will need to make an extreme effort to keep the ball in the park.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won eight straight games and, during that time, scored a total of 60 runs. That’s an average of over seven runs per game. Since then, they have scored just 3.5 per game in the losses to the Dodgers. There is no doubt they want to win games slugging it.

That brings in the combination of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Anthony Santander. Those three have a total of 55 home runs to lead the team.

The Orioles are a pretty balanced offense, but it seems they get hot together and cool down together. More consistency would be great long-term for Baltimore.

Great Series in Tampa

This should be a great series. There is a ton on the line, and both teams would like to win this series and show they are not going to back down as the dog days of August arrive.

We expect a competitive series, but in the end, we are giving a slight lean to the San Diego Padres to win two out of three in this weekend’s series to stay atop the American League East.

MLB Series Pick: Tampa to win 2 of 3 | Bet Dodgers @ Padres Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Games