Tampa Bay Rays vs Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/29/2023

Game Time: 3:40 pm ET, Thursday, June 29, 2023

Venue:  Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ 

Where to Watch:  MLB Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -110, D-Backs -110; Over/Under:  10 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -110, D-Backs -110; Over/Under:  10 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -110, D-Backs -110; Over/Under:  10 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  54-28 (1st place, AL East)

Arizona Diamondbacks:  48-32 (1st place, NL West)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  4-6 last 10

Arizona Diamondbacks:  6-4 last 10

The Rays are entering this series off of a win and split their 4-game series against the Kansas City Royals 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 54-28 record overall and have a road record of 20-18. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Diamondbacks on Thursday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. They also lost the series opener of this series on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 2nd in the MLB with a .799 OPS. Zach Eflin is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Zack Littell is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 0-1 with a 6.57 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 0 Ks on 4 hits through 0 IP against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks are entering this series off of a win but lost their 3-game series against the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 48-32 record overall and have a home record of 24-18. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Thursday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. They also won the 1st game of this series on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 5th in the MLB with a .771 OPS. Zach Davies is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while rookie pitcher Brandon Pfaadt is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 0-2 with a 8.37 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 earned runs, 1 homer, and 0 BB with 4 strikeouts on 8 hits through 3.2 innings played against the Boston Red Sox.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a pick 'em in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have the best record in the MLB and also have one of the best offenses but their pitching has also been really good all season and a big reason for why they are doing so well. The Diamondbacks have also been having a great season with the best record in the NL West and also with one of the best offenses in the league, but their pitching hasn't been great and they are going to need some help with Pfaadt on the mound here. Pfaadt gave up 5 runs in his last start and he has not been good this season in his few starts as it has been a common theme for him to give up a ton of runs. Littell is on the mound for the Rays and he hasn't been great this season either, but he will likely only serve as an opener here while the Rays bullpen takes over and they have some very good arms in that bullpen that will give them the pitching advantage in this game. They have the better pitching matchup here along with a much stronger offense and that will be enough for them to win this series. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game.

Rays Diamondbacks Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, June 29, 2023 (3:40 pm ET start time) is Rays 7 Diamondbacks 4.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 55-28 (+16 units) on the moneyline in all games. 26-8 (+14.7 units) on the moneyline after allowing 2 runs or less. 10-3 OVER as an underdog of +100 or higher. 11-6 OVER after a win by 2 runs or less. 

Arizona Diamondbacks: 41-73 (-18.8 units) on the moneyline after scoring 2 runs or less. 94-138 (-18.7 units) on the moneyline after a loss. 36-20 OVER in an inter-league game. 23-11 OVER after allowing 4 runs or less 3 straight games. 

Tampa Bay Rays:  S. McClanahan (SP) Prob Fri - Back. B. Lowe (2B) Mid July - Back. J. Fleming (SP) Late July - Elbow. A. Kittredge (RP) Early Aug - Elbow. D. Rasmussen (RP) Early Aug - Elbow. G. Cleavinger (RP) out for season - Knee. J. Springs (RP) out for season - Elbow. S. Baz (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Arizona Diamondbacks:  M. Kelly (SP) Out indefinitely - Calf. C. Sulser (RP) Early July - Shoulder. M. Melancon (RP) Late July - Shoulder. C. Martin (SP) out for season - Shoulder.

“The ball was flying out. They had a bunch of guys hit home runs, Siri hit a big one for us. Generally, when you've got two good pitchers on the mound, you don't see it that quick.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s loss against the Diamondbacks in their game on Tuesday.

“It's just a testament to this clubhouse. Everybody's trying to pick everyone else up.” - Zac Gallen after their win against the Rays in their game on Tuesday.

Yandy Diaz (R) 3B

Wander Franco (S) SS

Harold Ramirez (R) DH

Randy Arozarena (R) LF

Isaac Paredes (R) 2B

Luke Raley (L) 1B

Manuel Margot (R) RF

Christian Bethancourt (R) C

Jose Siri (R) CF

Geraldo Perdomo (S) SS

Ketel Marte (S) 2B

Corbin Carroll (L) LF

Christian Walker (R) 1B

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R) DH

Evan Longoria (R) 3B

Alek Thomas (L) CF

Gabriel Moreno (R) C

Jake McCarthy (L) RF

Batting Average:  Yandy Diaz (.315)

Hits:  Wander Franco (84)

Home Runs:  Jose Siri (15)

RBI:  Randy Arozarena (54)

Stolen Bases:  Wander Franco (25)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (11)

Saves:  Jason Adam (11)

ERA:  Chase Anderson (0.00)

Batting Average:  Emmanuel Rivera (.314)

Hits:  Ketel Marte (84)

Home Runs:  Corbin Carroll (17)

RBI:  Christian Walker (54)

Stolen Bases:  Corbin Carroll (23)

Wins:  Zac Gallen (10)

Saves:  Andrew Chafin (8)

ERA:  Scott McGough (2.41)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (9th season)

Arizona Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo (7th season)