2020-09-26 19:07:00 EDT
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays meet Saturday in MLB action from Tropicana Field.
This will be the second matchup in a three-game weekend series between the Phillies and Rays. In the opening game on Friday evening, Philly jumped out to an early lead but Tampa Bay came back for an eventual 6-4 win. Check back all season long for free MLB picks and free MLB predictions at Sports Chat Place.
The Phillies had a 4-1 lead on the Rays going into the bottom of the fifth inning in the Friday game, but coughed up an unanswered five runs beyond that. Bryce Harper came up with two hits, a triple, two RBI and a run in that one, and starting pitcher Vince Velasquez had 4.1 innings with three earned.
In the starting pitcher slot Saturday, the Phillies will send out Zack Wheeler. In his 10 starts this year, Wheeler is 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 45 Ks in 64.0 innings. Over his MLB career, Wheeler is 48-39 with a 3.68 ERA and 771 Ks in 813.1 innings.
Over on the Rays’ side, Friday starting pitcher Charlie Morton went 5.0 innings with seven hits, three earned and eight strikeouts. Brett Phillips posted a homer, two RBI and two hits to lead the offense in the victory.
In the Saturday starting pitcher slot, it’s looking like Tampa Bay will send out Ryan Yarbrough. In his 52.1 innings of work this season, Yarbrough is 1-4 with a 3.78 ERA and 40 strikeouts with 12 walks to his credit.
The Phillies are 8-2 in the last 10 Saturday games and 8-3 in the last 11 versus a team with a winning record. Philadelphia is 2-6 in their last eight road games and 7-19 in their last 26 games as an underdog.
Meanwhile, the Rays are 6-1 in their last seven Saturday games and 6-2 in the last eight versus a team with a losing record. Tampa Bay is also 37-14 in their last 51 home games and 31-12 in the last 43 overall.
Pick: I’m going to stick with the Rays here. The Phillies haven’t been very good to Wheeler lately, losing both of his last two starts. Otherwise Wheeler has been pretty darn great for the most part this season, and he’s a major reason why the team is on the brink of the postseason. Still, with Tampa Bay’s opportunistic hitters and stellar pitching staff, I have to side with the better team.
