Rays vs. Angels Prediction
Will the Rays knock off the Angels tonight at 10:07PM ET and pick up their first win of the season half?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Angels are -110 on the money line to beat the Rays, who have the same odds. With Jacob Faria set to face Ricky Nolasco in the pitching matchup, the over/under currently sits at 8.5 runs.
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Latest on Faria from Rotoworld: Faria stared down opposing pitcher Chris Sale on Thursday, holding the Red Sox to one run over six innings in the Rays’ 4-1 victory. Faria was making his sixth start of his major league career, against Sale, who already has 11 wins this year, but it was the 23-year-old who went home with the win. Faria certainly lacked some of the flair of his counterpart — Sale struck out 12 while allowing four runs, while Faria walked four while striking out just two — but it was good enough for his fourth win. Faria goes into the break with a perfect 4-0 record, 2.11 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. That’ll do.
Nolasco wasn’t long for Friday’s game against the Rangers, allowing eight runs over 1 2/3 innings before exiting. In both his innings of work, Nolasco’s troubles began with two outs — in the first, all three of the Rangers’ runs came after he retired the first two batters, and the Texas club plated five runs with two outs in the second before Nolasco got the hook. The meltdown came on the heels of his best start of the season, a complete-game shutout of the Mariners in which he struck out seven while allowing three hits. It all adds up to a 4-10 record, 5.06 ERA and 1.40 WHIP at the break.
Bet Tonight’s Rays vs. Angels Game
OUR PREDICTION: The Rays have won five of Faria’s last six starts and have won four of his last five outings following a quality start in his last appearance. Tampa Bay has also won 21 of its last 29 games in Los Angeles, which is 2-5 in its last seven games overall. The Angels are also 1-4 in Nolasco’s last five home starts, are 2-11 in his last 13 outings overall, and are 1-4 in his last five home starts versus a team with a winning record.
FRIDAY MLB FREE PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS -110