Tampa Bay Rays vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 6/22/24

At 4:05 PM ET, the Rays and Pirates face off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and the Pirates are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -113 compared to the Rays at -107. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.

Zach Eflin will be starting for the Rays, while the Pirates are going with Jared Jones. Tampa Bay is currently on a three-game winning streak, and they are 37-39, while the Pirates are 36-39 and are 3rd in the NL Central. The money line odds for an Eflin win are +152. The Rays are 4th in the AL East, while the Pirates are 3rd in the NL Central. BSSUN is carrying this one on TV.

TAMPA BAY RAYS VS PITTSBURGH PIRATES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline -107

This game will be played at PNC Park at 4:05 ET on Saturday, June 22nd.

HOW TO BET THE RAYS VS PIRATES:

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

Tampa Bay cruised to a 10-3 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had a huge 4th inning, scoring seven of their ten runs. As for the Pirates, they scored their only three runs in the 8th. Heading into the game, the Rays were favored at -131.

Ryan Pepiot got the start for the Rays, going just 3 1/3 innings while giving up two runs and striking out three. He did not factor into the decision as Colin Poche got the win out of the bullpen. Carmen Mlodzinski had a rough outing for the Pirates, giving up one earned run in just 1 2/3 innings of work.

Josh Lowe and Ben Rortvedt each homered for the Rays, while Jose Siri scored three times and drove in three runs while going 3/4. Yandy Diaz also had a two-hit game and drove in a run.

Rays Records & Stats

Tampa Bay is 37-39 overall and is 4th in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by 13 games. They have won three straight games, and they are 6-4 over their last 10. So far, they have gone just 10-17 in AL East matchups this year.

At home, the Rays are 19-23 and have gone 18-16 on the road. As the favorite, Tampa Bay is 22-20 this year and 15-19 as the underdog. The Rays have won three straight games on the road, and their overall series record is 11-11-2.

In their last 5 games, the Rays have been a good bet on the run line, covering in all 5 contests. On the season, they are 33-43 vs. the run line, but have been better on the road, going 20-14. Their average run differential is -0.8 runs per game, but they have been better in their wins, outscoring opponents by an average of 2.4 runs per game.

When the Tampa Bay Rays are on the road, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. Their games have averaged 8.9 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 40-34. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, their over/under record is 12-12. So far this season, 11.8% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, with 56.6% of their games having lower lines. Their current over streak is at 2 games.

Tampa Bay is sending Zach Eflin to the mound today, and he comes in with a record of 3-4 and ERA of 4.12. Eflin has made 13 starts this year and has yet to take the loss in three straight outings. In each of his last three starts, he has finished with a no-decision. Eflin’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.17, and he has allowed a total of 11 home runs. Eflin’s ERA on the road is 5.05 compared to 3.08 at home. So far, he has made four quality starts.

So far this season, the Rays offense has been one of the worst in the league, averaging just 4 runs per game (24th) and are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and batting average. However, they do have a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late. Yandy Diaz has gone 15/45 in his last 10 games, and Isaac Paredes has gone 12/37 in his last 10 games. Paredes is also the team’s leader in RBIs and has 11 homers this season.

Brandon Lowe and Josh Lowe have been swinging the bats well for the Rays, with both players going 3/9 in their last nine games. However, Brandon Lowe has three homers and seven RBIs in that stretch, while Josh Lowe has eight RBIs. Yandy Diaz is also on a 14-game hitting streak.

Pirates Records & Stats

Pittsburgh is 36-39 overall, putting them 3rd in the NL Central. They are 7.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. The Pirates are 10-10 in divisional matchups this year. The Pirates dropped the first game of the series vs. the Rays and have been 3-straight games as the underdog.

At home, the Pirates are 18-19 this year compared to an 18-20 mark on the road. So far, they have been the underdog 44 times, going 22-22 in those games. As the favorite, the Pirates are 14-17 this season, and their overall series record is 10-10-4. Heading into today’s game, they are 5-5 in their last 10.

When betting the run line, the Pirates have been a better play on the road than at home, going 22-16 compared to 19-18. They have been especially profitable as an underdog, going 30-14. Their average run differential is -0.4 runs per game.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home today against the Tampa Bay Rays, with the over/under line set at 8.5 runs. The Pirates’ games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 36-38. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 13-10. So far this season, 56.0% of their games have had lower over/under lines than 8.5 runs.

Jared Jones gets the start for the Pirates today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Rockies. In that start, he gave up six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Looking back over his last four starts, Jones has allowed at least two homers in three of them. For the season, he has a record of 4-6 and an ERA of 3.76. Opponents are batting .224 off Jones this season. One positive note for Jones is that he has turned in eight quality starts and is averaging 9.68 strikeouts per nine innings.

Heading into today’s game, the Pirates are averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.8 runs per game. Overall, they are batting just .229 and have the league’s 19th ranked on-base percentage. One positive for the Pirates is that they have the 11th fewest strikeouts in the league.

Bryan Reynolds has been swinging a hot bat for the Pirates, hitting .333 with three homers over his last 10 games. He is also on an 18 game hitting streak. For the season, he is batting .272 with a team-high 41 RBIs and 11 homers. Andrew McCutchen is also in double-digits in homers, but is batting just .242 for the season.