The San Diego Padres (33-36, 17-20 home) and Tampa Bay Rays (51-22, 20-15 away) continue a three-game interleague series with Game 2 on Saturday night. Tampa Bay won the opener, 6-2, after jumping out to a 6-0 lead through five innings.
The first pitch of the game is set for 7:15 p.m. EST inside Petco Park in San Diego, California. Tampa Bay is the betting favorite (-115 moneyline), and the over/under total is eight runs.
What to Know – Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa heads into the weekend on the heels of a three-game winning streak and the best record in baseball. The Rays have dominated the first half of the season and own a six-game advantage in the AL East.
Right-hander Zach Eflin (8-2, 3.28 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) gets the call on the mound for the Rays. Eflin hopes to bounce back on the hill after issuing four earned runs over 4.2 innings in his last outing. For the season, the 29-year-old has pitched 71.1 innings, surrendering 26 earned runs on 60 hits and 11 walks while striking out 72 batters.
Offensively, the Rays are third in the majors featuring a .264 team batting average while scoring 5.6 runs per game. Tampa’s pitching staff is second in the MLB with a 3.51 team earned run average.
The bats of Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes have combined to drive in 95 runners. Yandy Diaz is leading the team with a .304 batting average and has added 12 home runs and a team-high 45 runs scored.
What to Know – San Diego Padres
San Diego has dropped two in a row after winning seven of its last ten games in the month of June. The Padres sit three games under .500 and in fourth place in the NL West.
Lefty Blake Snell (2-6, 3.78 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) gets the nod on the mound for the hosts. The 30-year-old has been unhittable in two June starts, collecting a 0.69 ERA over 13.0 innings of work. Snell has thrown 69.0 innings, allowing 29 earned runs on 55 hits and 37 walks, with 81 punch outs.
The Padres rank 28th amongst league teams hitting .229 as a team and averaging 4.2 runs per contest. The pitching staff for San Diego is seventh in the league sporting a 3.80 team ERA.
After missing the first 20 games of the season, Frenando Tatis Jr. has stepped up to be the team’s leader offensively. Even with the fewer games, Tatis Jr. leads the lineup with 14 home runs, 34 RBIs, and a .284 batting average. Juan Soto is next in line with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs.
The Pick is In
Snell has been fantastic this month on the mound, but the lack of offense from San Diego is concerning. Tampa Bay has a leg up both offensively and pitching, and we anticipate the Rays pulling out another road victory Saturday.
The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays ML
