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The Tampa Bay Rays (14-16) and Milwaukee Brewers (17-11) play the middle outing of a 3-game interleague series Tuesday at American Family Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Rays vs. Brewers odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Rays lead 1-0
Tampa Bay opened the 3-game interleague road series with a 1-0 victory Monday night at AFF. RHP Ryan Pepiot and 3 relievers combined on the 3-hit shutout of the Brew Crew, cashing as slight favorites (-110) as the Under (8) easily cashed.
The Rays halted a 3-game losing streak, and 4-game road skid, with the shutout win. The Under has cashed in back-to-back games for Tampa Bay for the first time since a 3-game Under run April 18-20.
The Brewers had allowed 30 runs in the final 2 games of the interleague series against the New York Yankees over the weekend, so the pitching in Monday’s series opener was very encouraging. But the offense failed to produce any runs for the first time this season. Monday’s Under snapped a 4-0 run to the Over.
Rays at Brewers projected starters
LHP Tyler Alexander vs. RHP Freddy Peralta
Alexander (1-0, 4.74 ERA) makes his 3rd start and 6th appearance. He has a 1.30 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9 and 9.7 K/9 in 24 2/3 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 5 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K in 5-3 road loss vs. New York Yankees April 19
- 2023 road splits: 0-0, 3.72 ERA, 9 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 10 H (2 HR), 3 BB, 8 K with .263 opponents’ batting average and 1.34 WHIP in 2 starts
Peralta (2-0, 3.18 ERA) makes his 6th start. He has a 0.99 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9 and 12.1 K/9 in 28 1/3 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 4 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H (1 HR), 5 BB, 5 K in 7-5 road win vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday
- 2024 home splits: 0-0, 4.76 ERA (5 2/3 IP, 3 ER), 4 H, 1 BB, 7 K in 1 start, a 6-5 victory vs. Seattle Mariners April 5
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Rays at Brewers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:59 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Rays +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Brewers -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Rays +1.5 (-145) | Brewers -1.5 (+120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Rays at Brewers picks and predictions
Prediction
Brewers 4, Rays 2
Moneyline
The Brewers (-175) are a little too expensive at this price, even if they have their best pitching on the bump.
The good news is that Milwaukee’s bullpen received a little bit of a break Monday, and Peralta should be able to go fairly deep into the game to give that taxed unit a break. But still, risking nearly 2 times your potential return isn’t a great idea.
PASS.
Run line/Against the spread
The BREWERS -1.5 (+120) are a better play on the run line at plus-money.
The Rays +1.5 (-145) have been having trouble scoring runs on the road in this road trip, and the offense shouldn’t have a lot of success against Peralta, the best pitcher on the Milwaukee staff.
Over/Under
UNDER 7.5 (-115) is the lean in this middle contest of the interleague set.
The Under has cashed in 2 in a row for the Rays, who have scored a total of just 3 runs over that span. The Under is 5-3 across Tampa Bay’s past 8 games on the road and 3-2 in the previous 5 interleague battles.
For the Brewers, the Over is 4-1 in the past 5 outings, and the Over has a slight 3-2 edge in Peralta’s 5 starts, so tread lightly.
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