Tampa Bay Rays (33-37) vs. Atlanta Braves (37-30)
June 15, 2024 4:10 pm EDT
The Line: Atlanta Braves -165 / Tampa Bay Rays +140; Over/Under: +8.5
(Get latest betting odds)
In this article we will formulate an Atlanta Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays prediction for this MLB game on Saturday, June 15th at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game two in the series.
Braves Looking for Three Straight
The Atlanta Braves are 37-30 this year and they have won two games in a row. Atlanta won the first game in this series by a score of 7-3 on Friday night. Prior to this series, the Braves lost two out of three against the Orioles, lost three out of four against the Nationals, and split two games with the Red Sox. Atlanta is just 2-5 in their last seven games and they are second in the NL East, nine games behind the Phillies.
The Atlanta pitching staff has a 3.68 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and a .240 opponent batting average. The Braves offense has scored 294 runs with a .244 batting average and a .309 on base percentage. Marcell Ozuna is batting .321 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI’s for the Braves this season. Atlanta is eighth in team ERA this year, but they have allowed at least four runs in four of their last six games.
Rays are Last in the AL East
The Tampa Bay Rays are 33-37 this season and they have lost two of their last three games. Tampa Bay dropped game one in this series and they allowed seven runs in the loss. Prior to this series, the Rays won two out of three against the Cubs, lost all four against the Orioles, and won both games against the Marlins. Tampa Bay is just 2-6 in their last eight games and they are last in the AL East, a half game behind Toronto.
The Tampa Bay pitching staff has a 4.35 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and a .250 opponent batting average. The Rays offense has scored 269 runs with a .232 batting average and a .305 on base percentage. Isaac Paredes is batting .285 with 10 home runs and 38 RBI’s for the Rays this season. Tampa Bay is 24th in the MLB in team ERA and they have allowed at least five runs in five of their last eight games.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Tampa Bay is Ryan Pepiot, who is 4-3 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP over 58.1 innings pitched this year. Pepiot has allowed at least three earned runs in four of his last five starts, and he has failed to go more than four innings in two of those outings. The projected starting pitcher for Atlanta is Charlie Morton, who is 3-3 with a 4.12 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP over 67.2 innings pitched this season. Morton has allowed one earned run or fewer in two of his last four starts, but did allow 12 earned runs and 19 hits in the other two outings in that span.
Why the Atlanta Braves will win
The Braves have won each of their last six home games against AL East opponents.
The Rays have lost seven of their last eight games against teams that held a winning record.
The Braves have covered the run line in each of their last six games as home favorites against AL East opponents.
The Rays have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games against teams that held a winning record.
The Braves have led after 3 innings in each of their last six home games against AL East opponents.
The Rays have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last seven road day games.
Total Runs Facts
Each of the Rays’ last four games against NL East opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
Each of the last four games between the Rays and Braves at Truist Park have gone OVER the total runs line.
The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Rays’ last five road games.
The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Braves’ last five home games against American League opponents.
Atlanta Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction
Atlanta was able to get the win in the first game in this series on Friday night and they are looking for their third straight victory here. The Braves have had some offensive struggles recently, but they have scored 13 runs in their last two games. Tampa Bay is 14-14 on the road, while Atlanta is 20-12 at home. The Rays pitching staff has been a disappointment so far this season and they are starting Pepiot, who has a solid WHIP, but he hasn’t been great lately. Atlanta is turning to Charlie Morton, who is very inconsistent. I don’t like either starting pitcher in this matchup and I think we are going to see plenty of runs, but my Atlanta Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays prediction is for the Braves to win by at least two runs.
