Pittsburgh Pirates vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/26/2022

Game Time: 1:40 pm ET, Sunday, June 26, 2022

Venue:  Tropicana Field, Petersburg, FL

Where to Watch:  BSSUN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +140, Rays -165; Over/Under:  6.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +140, Rays -165; Over/Under:  6.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +140, Rays -165; Over/Under:  6.5 runs

 

Pittsburgh Pirates:  29-41 (3rd place, NL Central)

Tampa Bay Rays:  38-32 (4th place, AL East)

 

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Pittsburgh Pirates:  5-5 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  3-7 last 10

 

 

 

The Pirates are coming into this game with a 29-41 record overall and they are 12-21 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game. They just won their 4-game series against the Chicago Cubs 3-1 and they are playing the series finale of a 3-game series with the Rays on Sunday. This will be the 3rd game of the series on Sunday with the 2nd game still to be played on Saturday. JT Brubaker is the starting pitcher for them on Saturday while Roansy Contreras will be on the mound for them here on Sunday. He is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA this season. His team won 3 of their last 4 games this season with him starting. In his last start, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 3 Ks on 4 hits in 5 IP against the Chicago Cubs. They scored 32 runs in their last series averaging 8 runs scored per game in that span and they allowed 23 runs against them averaging just under 6 runs allowed per game.

 

The Rays are coming into this game with a 38-32 record overall and they are 23-15 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. They just lost their 3-game series against the New York Yankees 2-1, had Thursday off as a rest day, and they are playing the series finale of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Sunday. This will be the 3rd game of the series on Sunday with the 2nd game still to be played on Saturday. Corey Kluber is the starting pitcher for them on Saturday while Shane McClanahan will be on the mound for them here on Saturday. He is 7-3 with a 1.81 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him as a starter. In his last start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 1 BB with 8 strikeouts on 4 hits in 6 innings played against the New York Yankees. They scored 11 runs in their last series averaging just under 4 runs scored per game in that span and they allowed 13 runs against them averaging just over 4 runs allowed per game.

 

The Rays are coming into this game as a favorite with the current betting odds. They have been very inconsistent this season and have been falling in the standings of their division recently but they are still above .500 and they are going up against a Pirates team that is not very good. These are the kinds of series that the Rays need to be sweeping and they have a good chance of taking the series win here and possibly even the sweep with McClanahan on the mound here. He has been great all season and has not had a bad start yet as he does not allow many runs in his starts. The Pirates have Contreras starting here and he has also been pitching very well in his recent games but he does not have as much experience in the MLB as he is still new to it only in his 2nd season and the Rays have some seasoned vets here should be able to hit him for some runs in this game. They have not been hitting well recently but they are not getting shut out in their games and they will be able to score runs here. Between McClanahan and their bullpen, they should also keep the Pirates off the board here as well. The best bet here is on the Rays to win this game.

 

Pirates Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Sunday, June 26, 2022 (1:40 pm ET start time) is Rays 3 Pirates 0.

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Pittsburgh Pirates: 109-183 (-23.5 Units) ML in all games. 91-171 (-27.3 Units) ML as an underdog of +100 or higher. 13-8 UNDER against left-handed starters. 

Tampa Bay Rays: 190-126 (+34.2 Units) ML in all games. 132-69 (+21.5 Units) ML as a favorite of -110 or higher. 17-10 UNDER as a home favorite of -110 or higher.

 

 

Pittsburgh Pirates:  B. Gamel (LF) Early July - Hamstring. K. Newman (SS) Ques Sun - Groin. J. VanMeter (2B) Early July - Finger.

Tampa Bay Rays:  M. Margot (CF) Late Aug - Knee. K. Kiermaier (CF) Out indefinitely - Hip. B. Lowe (2B) Early July - Back.

 

 

 

"The good thing is he walked off under his own power. I think it went from a walk-off enthusiasm to about as hushed of a crowd as you can get for a walk-off. When you have a guy like (Hayes), that slides in and stays down for a second ... the concern, at that point, was just making sure he was OK." - Derek Shelton after his team’s win against the Cubs on Thursday.

 

 

"We had opportunities to add more runs and we didn't, and it's fairly obvious that we were a little gassed in the 'pen from the night before and even from previous usage, and it caught up to us there at the end. The walks — it goes without saying that team is going to capitalize on opportunities." - Kevin Cash after his team’s loss against the Yankees on Wednesday.

 

 

 

Oneil Cruz (L) SS

Bryan Reynolds (S) CF

Michael Chavis (R) 1B

Daniel Vogelbach (L) DH

Bligh Madris (L) RF

Jack Suwinski (L) LF

Diego Castillo (R) 2B

Michael Perez (L) C

Hoy Park (L) 3B

 

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Josh Lowe (L) RF

Randy Arozarena (R) LF

Ji-Man Choi (L) 1B

Vidal Brujan (S) 2B

Luke Raley (L) DH

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Francisco Mejia (S) C

Brett Phillips (L) CF

 

 

Batting Average:  Liover Peguero (.333)

Hits:  Bryan Reynolds (64)

Home Runs:  Bryan Reynolds (12)

RBI:  Michael Chavis (25)

Stolen Bases:  Ke'Bryan Hayes (8)

Wins:  Dillon Peters (4)

Saves:  David Bednar (11)

ERA:  Max Kranick (0.00)

 

Batting Average:  Jonathan Aranda (.500)

Hits:  Randy Arozarena (66)

Home Runs:  Isaac Paredes (9)

RBI:  Ji-Man Choi (34)

Stolen Bases:  Randy Arozarena (12)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (7)

Saves:  Andrew Kittredge (5)

ERA:  J.P. Feyereisen (0.00)

 

Managers:

Pittsburgh Pirates: Derek Shelton (3rd season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (8th season)