Arizona Diamondbacks vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Pick & Prediction 8/17/24

From Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, we have an interleague matchup between the Diamondbacks and Rays. First pitch is set for 4:10 PM ET, and the money line odds have the Diamondbacks as the favorites, with their payout sitting at -121. The Rays are 4th in the AL East, while the Diamondbacks are 2nd in the NL West.

Arizona is 69-54 overall, while the Rays are 60-61. The over/under line is at 7.5 runs, and the forecast for Saturday’s game calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. MLBN is carrying this one on TV.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks Moneyline -121

This game will be played at Tropicana Field at 4:10 ET on Saturday, August 17th.

HOW TO BET THE DIAMONDBACKS VS RAYS:

• We have the Diamondbacks winning by a score of 5 to 4
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Rays to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

Tampa Bay rallied for three runs in the 8th inning in the most recent game of this series, picking up a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks. The Rays had just one more hit than the Diamondbacks and struck out 11 times, but still picked up the win. Heading into the game, they were at -107 on the money line.

Ryan Pepiot started for the Rays, going just 5 1/3 innings while giving up five hits and striking out five. He didn’t give up a run but did issue one walk. Pete Fairbanks got the win out of the bullpen, and Ryne Nelson only went 6 1/3 innings for the Diamondbacks, giving up one run on five hits.

Dylan Carlson hit the game’s only home run while going 2/4 with three RBIs. Josh Lowe also had two hits and drove in two for Tampa Bay’s offense.

Diamondbacks Records & Stats

Arizona is 69-54 overall this season, putting them 2nd in the NL West, three games behind the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks dropped the first game of their series vs. the Rays and are 22-13-4 in series this year. They have actually won nine straight series, including six straight on the road.

At home, the Diamondbacks are 37-26 this year while going 32-28 on the road. Arizona has been good as the favorite this year, going 38-22 and 31-32 as the underdog. They have been playing well recently, going 8-2 over their last 10 games.

When betting the run line on the Diamondbacks, it’s been more profitable to take them as the underdog, as they are 39-24 against the run line in those situations. Their average run margin in winning games is 4.1, compared to -3.8 in losing games. Overall, they are 63-60 against the run line this season, with a scoring margin of 0.6 runs per game.

The Diamondbacks are on the road to take on the Rays in a game with an over/under line of 7.5 runs. Arizona’s games have averaged 9.9 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 67-50. Their games have had an average over/under line of 9 runs, and when the line has been set at 7.5 runs, they are 8-4. The over has hit in 85.4% of their games this season, and they are currently on a two-game over streak.

Zac Gallen gets the start for the Diamondbacks today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 9-5 with an ERA of 3.69. Gallen’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.28, and he has turned in nine quality starts. In his last outing, Gallen finished with a no-decision, going 4 1/3 innings and giving up one earned run on five hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One issue for Gallen has been the long ball, as he has given up eight homers on the road compared to three at home.

Arizona has been the best offensive team in the league this season, averaging 5.3 runs per game, and they have been even better at home, putting up 5.5 runs per contest. The Diamondbacks have been one of the best teams in terms of avoiding strikeouts this season, and they also rank 2nd in the league in on-base percentage.

Christian Walker and Ketel Marte have been the team’s top power threats this season, with Marte leading the team with 30 homers and Walker not far behind with 23. Marte also comes into the game with a team-high 81 RBIs. Arizona has a few hitters coming into the game on impressive streaks, as Corbin Carroll has a seven-game hitting streak, and Jake McCarthy has a six-game streak.

Rays Records & Stats

Tampa Bay is 60-61 overall, putting them 4th in the AL East. Currently, they trail the Yankees by 12 games in the division. The Rays are 17-23 against other AL East teams this year. They have gone just 3-7 across their last ten games and took the first game of this series vs. the Diamondbacks.

At home, the Rays are 32-34 compared to 28-27 on the road. So far, they have been the favorite in 58 games, going 31-27 in those games. As for their games as the underdog, the Rays are 29-34 this year. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 20-15-4, but they have dropped three straight series.

When it comes to betting the run line, the Rays have been a better play on the road this season, going 34-21 compared to 27-39 at home. They have covered the run line in three straight games at home, but their overall run line record at Tropicana Field is just 27-39. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 39-24 against the run line compared to 22-36 as the favorite.

When the Tampa Bay Rays are at home, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Rays home games this season is 8.2 runs per game. The over/under record for Rays games this season is 55-61, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, the over/under record for Rays games is 19-21. Overall, 62.0% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.

Jeffrey Springs is getting the start for the Rays at home against the Diamondbacks. So far this season, Springs has gone 5 innings in each of his first two starts. He took a loss in his first start, giving up 4 runs to the Cardinals, but then bounced back by striking out 8 Orioles in his last outing.

For the season, the Rays are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is the worst mark in the majors. Their team batting average of .232 is also toward the bottom of the league. As a team, they are 23rd in home runs and have a collective slugging percentage of just .369.

Brandon Lowe is one of the team’s top power threats, as he is 2nd on the team with 14 homers, but he has really struggled at the plate of late, going just 5/38 in his last nine games. Yandy Diaz has been swinging the bat well of late, as he is on a three-game hitting streak and is batting .269 for the season. Diaz is also 2nd on the team with 52 RBIs.