Tampa Bay Rays vs San Diego Padres Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/17/2023

Game Time: 7:15 pm ET, Saturday, June 17, 2023

Venue:  Petco Park, San Diego, CA

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -115, Padres -105; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -115, Padres -105; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -115, Padres -105; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  50-22 (1st place, AL East)

San Diego Padres:  33-35 (4th place, NL West)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  7-3 last 10

San Diego Padres:  6-4 last 10

The Rays are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak and split their 4-game series against the Oakland Athletics 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 50-22 record overall and have a road record of 19-15. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Padres on Saturday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .809 OPS. Shane McClanahan is their starting pitcher on Friday while Zach Eflin is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 8-2 with a 3.28 ERA this season. His team won 5 of their last 6 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 6 Ks on 5 hits through 4.2 IP against the Oakland A’s.

The Padres are entering this game off of a loss in their last game but won their 3-game series against the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 33-35 record overall and have a home record of 17-19. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 17th in the MLB with a .717 OPS. Yu Darvish is their starting pitcher on Friday while Blake Snell is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 2-6 with a 3.78 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 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 0 BB with 12 strikeouts on 3 hits through 7 innings played against the Colorado Rockies.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays are off to a great start this season with the best record in the MLB and the best offense too. The Padres haven't been good at all with their losing record and they also have a losing record in their home games too. Their offense has been bad all season and even though they have been getting hot over the last week on a bit of a roll now, this will be their real test against the best team in baseball as the Rays are also rolling into this series. The Padres are going with Snell on the mound here and he will be eager to get after his old team here as he is coming off a great performance in his last start but Snell has also been a really shaky starter since leaving the Rays and the Rays offense will be sure to make him pay on any mistake he makes. The Rays are starting Eflin in this game and he hasn't been great in his starts but he hasn't been giving up a ton of runs either and the team has found a ton of success all season with him on the mound as they have won a good majority of the games he has started in. The Padres may be coming into this series hot but they don't have the offense or the pitching to keep up with the best team in baseball here and they will flat in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game.

Rays Padres Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, June 17, 2023 (7:15 pm ET start time) is Rays 6 Padres 3.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 50-22 (+21 units) on the moneyline in all games. 46-16 (+22.4 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. ZACH EFLIN is 10-6 UNDER on the road with a money line of -100 to -150 and 7-4 UNDER on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5. 

San Diego Padres: 33-35 (-12.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 15-19 (-13.4 units) on the moneyline in home games. 43-23 UNDER in all games. 19-8 UNDER when the total is 8 to 8.5.

Tampa Bay Rays:  J. Fleming (SP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. A. Kittredge (RP) Early Aug - Elbow. B. Lowe (2B) Late June - Back. C. Faucher (RP) Out indefinitely - 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.

San Diego Padres:  N. Crismatt (RP) Late June - Hip. S. Lugo (RP) Late June - Calf. R. Suarez (SP) Late June - Arm. L. Campusano (C) Late July - Thumb. D. Pomeranz (RP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. E. Rosario (3B) Mid July - Ankle.

“That sounds really good, I’m really excited to get out of here, though." - Kevin Cash after his team’s win against the A’s in their game on Thursday.

“With the talent that these guys have, you get it in the air and it is going to go. He (Wacha) is spoiling us, really.” - Bob Melvin after his team’s win against the Guardians in their game on Wednesday.

Josh Lowe (L) RF

Wander Franco (S) SS

Randy Arozarena (R) LF

Harold Ramirez (R) DH

Luke Raley (L) 1B

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Taylor Walls (S) 2B

Manuel Margot (R) CF

Francisco Mejia (S) C

Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) RF

Juan Soto (L) LF

Manny Machado (R) 3B

Xander Bogaerts (R) SS

Ha-Seong Kim (R) 2B

Nelson Cruz (R) DH

Brandon Dixon (R) 1B

Trent Grisham (L) CF

Austin Nola (R) C

Batting Average:  Yandy Diaz (.311)

Hits:  Wander Franco (80)

Home Runs:  Yandy Diaz (12)

RBI:  Isaac Paredes (46)

Stolen Bases:  Wander Franco (22)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (10)

Saves:  Jason Adam (11)

ERA:  Chase Anderson (0.00)

Batting Average:  Alfonso Rivas (.286)

Hits:  Xander Bogaerts (63)

Home Runs:  Fernando Tatis (14)

RBI:  Fernando Tatis (34)

Stolen Bases:  Ha-Seong Kim (11)

Wins:  Michael Wacha (7)

Saves:  Josh Hader (16)

ERA:  Ray Kerr (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (9th season)

San Diego Padres: Bob Melvin (2nd season)