Rays vs Marlins Prediction and Betting Odds May 25
Rays vs Marlins Betting Preview and Odds
The Rays shut out the Marlins last night 4-0 as Miami only accumulated five hits on the night, all singles. WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his Tampa Bay Rays vs Miami Marlins betting preview for Wednesday, May 25, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40pm ET / 3:40pm PT.
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| Wednesday, May 25 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Tampa Bay Rays -180 vs Miami Marlins +165 |
| Runline: | Rays -1.5 (+110) / Marlins +1.5 (-130) |
| Total: | 7 Runs (Over -105 / Under -115) |
| Game Time: | 6:40pm ET / 3:40pm PT |
| Where: | Tropicana Field in Tampa, FL |
| Weather: | Dome |
Rays vs Marlins Analysis
The Tampa Bay Rays will be looking to sweep a two game mini set against the Miami Marlins in the battle for Florida on Wednesday night.
Yesterday the Rays won the opener behind a dynamic performance by starting pitcher Shane McClanahan and three home runs by the offense. Pablo Lopez pitched well for Miami but there was little he could do with no run support.
Tampa Bay will send Drew Rasmussen to the mound to be opposed by Cody Poteet for Miami. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM EST/3:40 PST.
McClanahan Mows Down Marlins
The Tampa Bay Rays won the opener of this short two game series behind the strong pitching of Shane McClanahan. McClanahan hurled six shutout innings while allowing only two hits and striking out nine. Two relief pitchers covered the final three innings of the shutout.
Their offense consisted of three home runs, an in the park home run by Kevin Kiermaier, a solo blast by Harold Ramirez and a two run bomb by Ji-Man Choi. The Rays continue to stack wins and are now 25-17 on the season, good for 2nd place in the American League East.
However they have been carried by their pitching as their offense has taken a step back. Last season they ranked 2nd in runs scored, this season they rank 11th with an OPS of .689 that ranks them 18th.
The pitching has more than made up for it as they rank top five with a team ERA of 3.38. In their last 8 games they have allowed a total of 21 runs while allowing one run or less in 4 of those 8 games.
Starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen has been a huge contributor to those numbers, with a 4-1 record, 2.33 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and only 8 walks.
Marlins Can’t Muster Up Runs
The Miami Marlins struggled to get anything going on offense as they were stifled by Shane McClanahan and the Rays bullpen. No Marlin hitter had an extra base hit, while leadoff man Garrett Cooper had two singles.
The poor offensive output essentially wasted a solid performance from Pablo Lopez as he threw seven while allowing four runs and striking out eight.
After the shutout, they are averaging less than three runs per game over their last five contests. On the season Miami ranks 17th in runs scored while batting only .240 as a team. Leadoff man Jazz Chisholm acted as a great spark plug for the team.
His absence was felt on Tuesday as he is currently dealing with hamstring tightness. Cody Poteet will be making just his 2nd start of the season on Wednesday night. He enters this contest with outstanding overall numbers while pitching primarily out of the bullpen.
He has a 0.78 ERA and 0.89 WHIP while striking out 19 in 23 innings of work. His lone start came last week, he threw 4.2 innings of shutout baseball, but the Marlins can’t depend on him to pitch very deep.
Rays vs Marlins Prediction
The Tampa Bay Rays money line is set at -180, with the Miami Marlins at +165 and a total of 7.5. Yesterday we cashed on the Marlins first five inning team total under 1.5 with -150 juice.
It turns out basically any under would have cashed in the 4-0 game. Without Jazz Chisholm leading off Miami is really going to struggle get anything going offensively. Rasmussen continues to limit walks and home runs which will make it extremely difficult for the Marlins to score as they can’t string together enough hits.
Marlins starter Cody Poteet has thrived as a reliever but has struggled more often than not in his seven career starts. Regardless, he isn’t pitching much past the 4th inning and that’s where the Rays bats could pounce.
The Rays have a strong +108 wRC+ and getting Miguel Margot back will only strengthen the lineup. I feel like I have this game figured out so we will confidently roll with two plays, one even money and one plus money.
Predictions:
Miami Marlins Team Total UNDER 3 +100
Tampa Bay Rays RL -1.5 +126
Interested in placing a bet on Wednesday’s Rays vs Marlins Interleague clash? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
First Pitch | MLB Betting Preview for May 25
Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective. The Red Sox continued their recent offensive tear winning 16-3 against the White Sox last night. How many runs will they score on Chicago ace Lucas Giolito tonight? Join WagerTalk’s team of MLB betting experts every weekday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT for First Pitch as we discuss the baseball betting slate.
Daily MLB Game Previews and Predictions
See all of the daily MLB predictions and picks by WagerTalk and Sportsmemo handicappers to assist you in betting. We breakdown various games from a betting perspective all across the league. View all of our daily game previews using the links below!
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all of Wednesday’s baseball games, including this Rays vs Marlins showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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