The Phillies head into their interleague matchup vs. the Rays looking to extend their winning streak to three games. They are 87-58 this season and Zack Wheeler is set to start for them. The Rays are 71-74 and they will be sending Shane Baz to the mound. Baz will be facing a Phillies team that is 1st in the NL East.
Wednesday’s money line odds have the Phillies at -204 compared to the Rays at +172. The over/under line is currently 7.5 runs, and the game will be televised on BSSUN.
Rays Look to Avoid Sweep Against Phillies as Baz Takes the Mound
The Rays are 71-74 overall and trail the Yankees by 12 games in the AL East. They are 19-24 in division games. Tampa Bay is 37-38 at home and 34-36 on the road. Today, they are looking to avoid a sweep vs. the Phillies after dropping the first two games of the series. The Rays are 4-6 across their last 10 games and have lost two straight. Overall, they are 22-18-6 in series matchups. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 7.5 runs, and the Rays are 65-72 vs. the O/U this year.
Shane Baz will be on the mound for the Rays, and he is 2-3 with a 3.27 ERA. He is coming off a rough outing vs. the Orioles, where he took the loss. Baz has alternated between wins and losses over his last four starts. The right-hander has a 2.95 ERA on the road compared to 4.17 at home. The Rays’ offense has struggled this year, ranking near the bottom of the league in runs per game, home runs, and batting average. Yandy Díaz has been a bright spot for the Rays, leading the team in batting average (.280) and RBI (65). Third baseman Christopher Morel leads the team with 21 homers. Jonny DeLuca is hitting .355 over his last 8 games, and Díaz is on a 3-game hitting streak.
Phillies Dominate NL East: Wheeler Takes the Mound as Schwarber and Harper Shine
The Phillies are 87-58 overall and hold an eight-game lead over the Mets in the NL East. They are 25-17 in divisional games this year. Philadelphia is 49-25 at home and 38-33 on the road. They have gone 74-43 as the favorite and 13-15 as the underdog. Zack Wheeler gets the start for the Phillies today, and he is 14-6 with a 2.59 ERA this year. Wheeler has won each of his last two starts and has not taken a loss since August 20th. He has a 2.53 ERA at home compared to 3.66 on the road.
The Phillies are 34-40 against the run line at home this year and 71-74 overall. They are 1-0 against the run line in their last game as the favorite. Philadelphia’s offense is 5th in the league in runs per game at 4.9. They are 2nd in the league with 5.1 runs per game at home. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .251 with 35 home runs and 95 RBI this year, while Bryce Harper is hitting .291 with a .378 OBP and 26 home runs. Schwarber is hitting .417 with 7 home runs and 13 RBI over his last 9 games. Harper is on a 5-game hitting streak.
Betting Preview: Take the Over in Rays vs. Phillies Showdown
Our prediction for the Rays vs. Phillies game is to take the over, with the line sitting at 7.5 runs. We actually have the Phillies winning this game 5-4, but with the payout for the Phillies on the money line at -204, we think the better value is to take the over.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Zack Wheeler finishing with seven strikeouts compared to Shane Baz with just four. Wheeler is also a good option to pick up the win, as he has the second-best odds among starters to get a win.
