MLB action is set to take place on Friday, July 8th, and it will feature the Tampa Bay Rays at Cincinnati Reds. The game is set to take place at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game starts at 6:40 PM EST and should be televised on ESPN+.
The Tampa Bay Rays are coming here with a record of 45-37 record overall and on the road are 20-20. The last game before play on Thursday seen the Rays get a win over the Red Sox by a score of 7-1.
The Tampa Bay Rays as a team are hitting at a clip of only .238 with 655 hits and an OBP of .303. The Rays have scored 340 runs and have record 77 homers while getting a .380 slugging. The Rays have posted a team ERA of 3.29 with a WHIP of 1.14. Tampa Bay has struck out 709 batters and walked 211, but have allowed the opponents to hit at a clip of .226.
The power hitter for the Rays is Isaac Paredes who has cranked out 13 homers. Yandy Diaz has hit at a clip of .295 on the year. Randy Arozarena has driven in 39 runners. Shane McClanahan is the starter for the Rays and he has went 9-3 on the year with a 1.74 ERA. McClanahan has thrown 98.1 innings and has a WHIP of 0.81. McClanahan has struck out 133 batters and walked 17, but has allowed 63 hits and given up 11 homers.
The Cincinnati Reds are coming here with a 28-53 record overall, but are playing horrible at home with a 14-27 record. The last game on the field for the Reds was a 8-3 loss in 10 innings against the New York Mets.
Cincinnati is coming here with a hitting average of .238 with 633 hits and an OBP of .307. The Reds have scored 343 runs and hit 74 homers, but have a slugging of .374. The Reds have posted a team ERA of 5.46 and a WHIP of 1.44. The Reds have walked 304 batters and struck out only 696 while allowing the opponent to hit at a clip of .260.
Luis Castillo is heading to the mound for the Reds here. This year Castillo has posted a 3-4 record and a 3.09 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP. Castillo has only thrown 64 innings on the year while striking out 66 batters, walking 22 and giving up 51 hits and allowed only 5 homers. Brandon Drury is the leader for the Reds when it comes to power and run production with 17 homers and 45 RBIs. The average hitter is the shortstop Kyle Farmer who is hitting at a clip of .279.
Tampa Bay Rays at Cincinnati Reds Odds: Tampa Bay Rays -162, Cincinnati Reds +136
Over/Under Odds: 8
Tampa Bay Rays at Cincinnati Reds Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays -162, Under 8
Odds from Betonline.ag
The Reds are putting their former staff ace on the mound in Castillo. However, the problem that the Reds have is Castillo has been far from his good days this year and that will show in this game against a Rays offense that has been decent, but not dominating. Still, I look for the Rays to be the winner in the game here, but neither team will score enough runs to threaten the over in this game.
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