Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles: Rays to handle Orioles again

Tampa Bay won the first game of their home series with Baltimore. Will the Rays be able to handle the Orioles in game two? Let's pick a few options to bet on at once.

Tampa Bay back among the favorites

The Rays are one of the most consistent teams in the MLB in recent seasons. Manager Kevin Cash's great work has kept Tampa Bay from falling below a certain level, despite constant roster changes. The team from Florida has made the playoffs three seasons in a row and even made it to the World Series in the 2020 championship, where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Starting pitcher Shane McClanahan had a great first game of the season, not allowing a single injury and striking out 7 strikeouts in 4.1 innings. The team backed up the starter, winning 2-1. Brooks Riley had a save, and Brandon Lowe and Francisco Mejia each had 1 RBI.

Drew Rasmussen will pitch in game two. The pitcher has 20 games last season, 10 of them in the starting lineup, a 2.44 ERA and a 100 percent win-loss balance of 4-0.

Baltimore to be no competition again

Not only have the Orioles failed to make the playoffs for 5 consecutive seasons, but they haven't even come close to a 50% win-loss balance. Last season, Baltimore finished at 32.1 percent with 52 wins and 110 losses. Given how strong the division the Orioles play in is, it's hard to imagine the team's crisis ending anytime soon.

Starting in Game 2 of the series with Tampa Bay for Baltimore will be Jordan Lyles. The 31-year-old pitcher spent the previous season with Texas and finished the championship with a 5.15 ERA and a 10-13 win-loss balance.

Head-to-head encounters

Tampa Bay has five straight home wins over Baltimore.

Expert Betting Tips

Tampa Bay have shown their ability to pick up wins in recent seasons. A home series against division outsider Baltimore is one of the easiest opportunities to add to the piggy bank. Especially since the Rays need to start winning right from the start – the class of their division rivals, Boston, the Yankees and Toronto, is too high to allow any misfires.

Prediction: Tampa Bay will take the second game of the series against Baltimore as well.

Betting options

• H1 (-1.5) for 1.84;
• W1+TO (6.5) for 1.90;
• ITO1 (4.5) for 1.76.

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