The Tampa Bay Rays (51-22) and San Diego Padres (33-36) meet Saturday for game 2 of a 3-game series. First pitch from Petco Park is set for 7:15 p.m. ET (FOX). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Rays vs. Padres odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Rays lead 1-0
Tampa Bay won 6-2 as +106 road underdogs Friday. Most of this game was all Tampa, as it scored all 6 of its runs before the end of the 5th inning, including 4 runs in that inning alone. The Padres tried to make a late-game push to get on the board but the 6-0 lead the Rays had was simply too much to overcome.
The Rays have now won 3 straight after previously dropping back-to-back games vs. Oakland. The Rays sit at a 20-15 road record on the season, with road losses accounting for all but 7 of their losses on the season thus far.
The Padres are now 2-3 in their last 5 overall and have lost back-to-back home games. San Diego sits at 17-20 at home this season, continuing its home struggles with Friday’s loss.
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Rays at Padres projected starters
RHP Zach Eflin vs. LHP Blake Snell
Eflin (8-2, 3.28 ERA) makes his 13th start. He has a 1.00 WHIP, 1.4 BB/9 and 9.1 K/9 through 71 1/3 IP.
- Last outing: Loss, 4 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K in a 4-3 road loss Monday vs. Oakland Athletics
- Career vs. San Diego: 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA (26 2/3 IP, 10 ER), 24 H, 20 K, and a 1.16 WHIP across 5 starts
Snell (2-6, 3.78 ERA) makes his 14th start. He has a 1.33 WHIP, 4.8 BB/9 and 10.6 K/9 through 69 IP.
- Last outing: No-decision, 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 12 K in a 5-4 road loss Sunday vs. Colorado Rockies
- First career start vs. Tampa Bay
Rays at Padres odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:49 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Rays -115 (bet $115 to win $100) | Padres -105 (bet $105 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Rays -1.5 (+145) | Padres +1.5 (-175)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Rays at Padres picks and predictions
Prediction
Rays 5, Padres 2
Moneyline
BET RAYS (-115).
Tampa Bay has dominated San Diego lately and with the Padres’ home struggles this season, the Rays are an even safer bet. The Rays are the hotter team and are better on the road than the Padres are at home. The Rays are 9-1 in the last 10 meetings overall and 3-1 in the last 4 meetings in San Diego. The Rays also have the SP advantage here.
Run line/Against the spread
PASS.
This line could truly go either way and I’m not a fan of wagering such a heavy bet on the Padres at +1.5 (-175) considering their home woes and the fact that only 1 of the last 10 meetings has come to a 1-run margin.
If you believe in the Rays at -1.5 (+145) you could place a small wager on that bet, but the moneyline and O/U are both safer.
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Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 8 (-105).
For San Diego, the Under is 6-0 in its last 6 Saturday games and 6-0-1 in its last 7 interleague home games vs. a team with a winning record. For Snell, the Under is 5-0 in his last 5 starts vs. a team with a winning record.
For Tampa Bay, the Under is 4-0-1 in its last 5 interleague road games and 5-4-1 in its last 10 games overall. For Eflin, the Under is 4-0 in his last 4 starts vs. a team with a losing record, all per covers.com.
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