Rays vs. Cardinals Pick
Will the Tampa Bay Rays finish off sweep of host St. Louis Cardinals when they meet in Sunday’s series finale at 2:15 PM EST?
Oddsmakers at sports book Bovada.lv have made the Rays a -124 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Cardinals are a +104 underdog, while the over-under is 8.5.
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Chris Archer (9-7, 3.76 ERA) gets the start for Tampa Bay, while St. Louis counters with Lance Lynn (10-6, 3.17). Archer has a WHIP of 1.21 and has 217 strikeouts over 172 1/3 innings. He has a road ERA of 4.26 in 13 starts. Lynn has a 1.17 WHIP with 124 strikeouts in 150 1/3 innings. He has a 2.90 home ERA in 12 starts.
Tampa Bay has a record of 64-67 and is 30-34 on the road, while St. Louis is 65-64 and 37-30 at home. The Cardinals evened the series at a game apiece Saturday as they rallied for a 6-4 win.
In Saturday’s game, Tommy Pham capped the comeback with a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. St. Louis had scored twice in the eighth to tie the score. Pham scored three runs, while Yadier Molina was 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBIs. Tyler Lyons earned the win in relief. Lucas Duda, Corey Dickerson and Adeiny Hechavarria all hit home runs for the Rays. Brad Boxberger took the loss in relief.
Lynn is every bit as good of a pitcher as Archer in this matchup, aside from a lesser strikeout rate. The Cardinals are strong at home and Friday night’s blowout loss gave them a kick in the pants. Look for St. Louis to win the game and the series.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS +104