Rays vs. Pirates Prediction
Will Chris Archer lead the Rays to a road victory tonight in Pittsburgh when they visit the Pirates at 7:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Rays are -125 money line favorites versus the Pirates, who have odds of +105 to pull off the small upset at home. With Archer set to face Jameson Taillon in the pitching matchup, the over/under currently sits at 8 runs.
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From Rotoworld: Archer earned his sixth victory of the season on Friday despite allowing five runs on eight hits over his six innings of work. The Rays provided a boatload of run support in this one, so all Archer needed to do was throw strikes and keep the game moving along. He struck out four and walked two on the evening. Archer will carry a 3.97 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 126/33 K/BB ratio into Thursday’s start against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
Taillon was handed a no-decision after allowing two runs over six innings Friday versus the Cardinals. The only damage was a two-run homer off the bat of Jose Martinez. Taillon struck out seven and walked a pair in the no-decision. The 25-year-old has now had two really good starts and one shaky one since returning from surgery for testicular cancer. He’s made for an amazing story.
Bet Tonight’s Rays vs. Pirates Game
OUR PREDICTION: The Rays have won five of Archer’s last six starts, are 5-1 in his last six road outings versus a team with a losing record, and are 10-3 in their last 13 interleague games. On the other side, the Pirates are just 3-8 in their last 11 interelague games, are 2-5 in Taillon’s last seven starts coming off five days of rest, and are 3-7 in their last 10 games versus American League East opponents.
THURSDAY MLB PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY RAYS -125