Tampa Bay Rays vs Atlanta Braves Betting Pick & Prediction 6/14/24
Chris Sale and the Braves (36-30) will host the Rays (33-36) on Friday, with the interleague matchup set to get started at 7:20 PM ET from Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. Tampa Bay is starting Zack Littell, and they are the underdog on the money line (+178), while the Braves are favored at -212.
Friday’s over/under line is sitting at 8.5 runs, and the game can be seen on BSSUN. In the AL East, the Rays are 5th, while the Braves are 2nd in the NL East.
TAMPA BAY RAYS VS ATLANTA BRAVES BETTING PICK
The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline +178
This game will be played at Truist Park at 7:20 ET on Friday, June 14th.
HOW TO BET THE RAYS VS BRAVES:
- We have the Rays winning by a score of 5 to 4
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Rays to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
Rays Records & Stats
The Rays’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Cubs, closing out their series with a 3-2 win. After allowing one run to the Cubs in the top of the first, the Rays responded with three runs of their own. Tampa Bay went on to add another three runs in the 7th inning, and it was the Cubs’s bullpen that closed things out. Heading into the game, the Rays were the slight favorite at -106 on the money line.
Taj Bradley put together a good start for the Rays, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just two walks and struck out 11 Cubs batters. Yandy Diaz was hot at the plate, going 2/4 with a run scored. The Rays also got a good game from Brandon Lowe, going 2/4 with a run scored.
Tampa Bay is 33-36 overall and trails the Yankees by 15 games in the AL East. The Rays are 10-17 against other AL East teams this season. The Rays are on a three-game winning streak on the road, and they are 14-13 overall as the road team.
So far, the Rays have been the favorite in 41 games, going 21-20 in those contests. As the underdog, the Rays are 12-16 this year. Their overall series record is 10-10-2, and they won their most recent series vs. the Cubs. Tampa Bay’s overall record at home is 19-23.
Despite a losing run differential on the road, the Rays have been a strong bet against the run line away from home, going 15-12. They have covered the run line in three straight road games and have a 14-14 record as the underdog.
The Tampa Bay Rays are on the road today against the Atlanta Braves. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.6 runs per game. Overall, the over/under record for Rays games this season is 34-33. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, the Rays have a record of 9-12. So far this season, only 10.1% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher. Their current under streak is at three games.
Zack Littell is looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Orioles, as he gets the start for the Rays today. In that June 9th start, he took the loss, going six innings and giving up three earned runs, including a homer. Looking back over his last four starts, Littell has allowed at least one homer in three of them. For the season, he has a record of 2-4, an ERA of 3.63, and opponents are batting .278 vs. Littell. The right-hander has made six quality starts this year and is averaging 8.35 strikeouts per nine innings.
Over his last nine games, Yandy Diaz has gone 14/39, but he hasn’t homered during that stretch. Diaz is batting .260 for the season and is 2nd on the team with 30 RBIs. Isaac Paredes has been the Rays’ top power threat so far, as his 10 homers are 11th in the league and the most on the team. Paredes is also 14th in the MLB with 38 RBIs.
As a team, the Rays are 26th in scoring at 3.9 runs per game. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.7 runs per contest. Tampa Bay’s team batting average is just .232, and their collective slugging percentage of .351 is also near the bottom of the league.
Braves Records & Stats
Ozzie Albies and the Braves’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Orioles, closing out their series with a 6-3 win. Albies went 4/5 with two doubles, a run scored, and a stolen base. The Braves scored a total of two runs in the 1st inning and added another two in the 4th.
Reynaldo Lopez put together a good start for the Braves, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out eight Orioles batters. Atlanta’s bullpen did give up three runs in the 7th inning, but Raisel Iglesias was able to close things out and pick up the save.
With an overall record of 36-30, the Braves are nine games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead. Atlanta lost two of three games to the Orioles in their most recent series. So far, they are 12-11 in divisional matchups this year.
At home, the Braves are 19-12 compared to 17-18 on the road. As the favorite, the Braves have gone 34-25 this year, and they are just 2-5 as the underdog. So far, their overall series record is 12-8-2, and they have dropped two straight series.
When the Braves win, they do so by an average of 3.6 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.4 runs. They have a run line record of 32-34, including a 14-17 mark at home and an 18-17 record on the road. They have lost four straight run line bets as the favorite, and they are 4-3 against the run line as the underdog.
When the Braves play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, and their games have averaged 8.3 runs per game this season. Overall, Atlanta’s over/under record is 23-40, and their games have had an average line of 9 runs. When the line has been set at 8.5 runs, the over/under record is 6-14, and 42.4% of their games have had higher lines than that.
Chris Sale gets the start for the Braves today and comes into the game with a record of 8-2 and an ERA of 3.01. Looking at his overall numbers, Sale has made 12 starts, and opponents are batting .206 this season. Sale has made seven quality starts and is averaging 11.09 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Sale took the loss, giving up two earned runs in seven innings of work. Before that, he had won three straight starts. One of those wins was a complete game shutout. Sale has been much better at home, coming in with a 6-0 record and 3.79 ERA compared to 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA on the road.
Marcell Ozuna has been on a tear for the Braves of late, going 10/24 (.417) over his last six games. For the season, he is batting .322 with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs, which is 2nd in the MLB. Matt Olson is also near the top of the league in homers, as his 10 long balls are 2nd on the team and 11th in the league. He comes into the game on a seven-game hitting streak.
As a team, the Braves are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which has them right in the middle of the pack in the MLB. They are also a top-15 team in terms of batting average and slugging percentage. Collectively, the Braves are 6th in the league in BABIP, and their team walk rate is one of the worst in the league.