Atlanta Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/08/2023

Game Time: 7:15 pm ET, Saturday, July 8, 2023

Venue:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -150, Rays +130; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -150, Rays +130; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -150, Rays +130; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Atlanta Braves:  58-28 (1st place, NL East)

Tampa Bay Rays:  57-33 (1st place, AL East)

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Atlanta Braves:  9-1 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  4-6 last 10

The Braves are entering this series off of a win and won their 3-game series against the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 58-28 record overall and have a road record of 28-13. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Saturday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .841 OPS. Charlie Morton is their starting pitcher on Friday while Spencer Strider is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 10-2 with a 3.66 ERA this season. His team won their last 7 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 9 Ks on 6 hits through 6.2 IP against the Miami Marlins.

The Rays are entering this series on a 5 game losing streak and got swept 3-0 in their 3-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies in their last series. They enter this game with a 57-33 record overall and have a home record of 34-13. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Braves on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .787 OPS. Tyler Glasnow is their starting pitcher on Friday while rookie pitcher Taj Bradley is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 5-4 with a 5.27 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 earned runs, 1 homer, and 1 BB with 3 strikeouts on 9 hits through 3.1 innings played against the Seattle Mariners.

The current betting odds have the Braves listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Braves and the Rays have the 2 best records in the MLB right now and they both have top 3 offenses in the league too. They have been heading in opposite directions lately though with the Rays starting to slip now as they have been losing more games over the last week while the Braves have been rolling and have been getting stronger over the last few weeks. The Rays are running into the Braves at the wrong time here since the Rays haven't been great this week and seem to be winding down as they head into the All-Star break. The Braves have only been getting stronger with the number of runs they have been putting up on offense and they are also going to have Strider starting in this game who has pretty much been their ace this season. Strider has been dealing all season and hasn't been giving up many runs at all in his starts. He will continue to pitch well here with the Rays offense slowing down in their games lately and the Braves offense will also be able to carry the load here with Bradley starting for the Rays. Bradley had a good start to his rookie year but he has been slipping in his starts lately as he is giving up more and more runs now. The Braves are going to take advantage of any scoring positions they get put in and Bradley will easily get himself into trouble against such a good offense. The best way to place a bet here is on the Braves to win this game.

Braves Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, July 8, 2023 (7:15 pm ET start time) is Braves 8 Rays 3.

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Atlanta Braves: 12-20 (-13.2 units) on the moneyline against AL East opponents. 41-37 (-8.7 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 23-13 OVER when the total is 7 to 8.5. SPENCER STRIDER is 12-5 OVER in all games.

Tampa Bay Rays: 57-33 (+12.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 34-13 (+14 units) on the moneyline in home games. 30-16 OVER in home games. 20-12 OVER against NL East opponents.

Atlanta Braves:  D. Lee (SP) Late July - Shoulder. M. Fried (SP) Late July - Forearm. E. Adrianza (2B) Mid July - Shoulder. J. Chavez (RP) Mid July - Shin. K. Wright (SP) Mid Aug - Shoulder. T. Matzek (RP) out for season - Elbow. H. Ynoa (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  S. McClanahan (SP) Out indefinitely - 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.

"We’re really good at turning the page.” - Brian Snitker after his team’s win against the Guardians in their game on Wednesday.

“Sanchez got into a good rhythm, and then their bullpen came in and was pretty electric all the way to the very end with Strahm.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s loss against the Phillies in their game on Thursday.

Ronald Acuna Jr. (R) RF

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Matt Olson (L) 1B

Sean Murphy (R) C

Marcell Ozuna (R) DH

Eddie Rosario (L) LF

Orlando Arcia (R) SS

Michael Harris II (L) CF

Yandy Diaz (R) 1B

Wander Franco (S) SS

Harold Ramirez (R) DH

Randy Arozarena (R) LF

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Manuel Margot (R) RF

Jose Siri (R) CF

Christian Bethancourt (R) C

Taylor Walls (S) 2B

Batting Average:  Ronald Acuna (.337)

Hits:  Ronald Acuna (117)

Home Runs:  Matt Olson (29)

RBI:  Matt Olson (70)

Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuna (41)

Wins:  Spencer Strider (10)

Saves:  Raisel Iglesias (15)

ERA:  Dereck Rodriguez (0.00)

Batting Average:  Yandy Diaz (.310)

Hits:  Wander Franco (94)

Home Runs:  Jose Siri (16)

RBI:  Randy Arozarena (58)

Stolen Bases:  Wander Franco (28)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (11)

Saves:  Jason Adam (11)

ERA:  Chase Anderson (0.00)

Managers:

Atlanta Braves: Brian Snitker (8th season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (9th season)