Detroit Tigers vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/20/2025

Game Time: 7:05 pm ET, Friday, June 20, 2025

Venue:  George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL

Where to Watch:  MLBN Alt, FDSSUN, WTOG

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

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

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

Detroit Tigers:  47-27 (1st place, AL Central)

Tampa Bay Rays:  41-33 (2nd place, AL East)

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Detroit Tigers:  6-4 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  7-3 last 10

The Tigers lost their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1. They enter this game with a 47-27 record overall and have a road record of 22-16. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Rays on Friday with the 2nd game and the series finale of their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates still to be played on Thursday in a double-header. The Tigers won the series opener of that series on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 7th in the MLB with a .738 OPS. Tarik Skubal is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Jack Flaherty is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-7 with a 4.03 ERA this season. His team won 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 7 ER, 3 HR, and 5 BB with 5 SO on 5 hits through 4.2 IP against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Rays completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the New York Mets 3-0. They enter this game with a 41-33 record overall and have a home record of 25-21. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Tigers on Friday with the 4th game of their series against the Baltimore Orioles still to be played on Thursday. The Rays won the 1st game of that series on Monday, lost the 2nd game on Tuesday, and won the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 14th in the MLB with a .719 OPS. Drew Rasmussen is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Shane Baz is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-3 with a 4.54 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 4 walks with 6 strikeouts on 3 hits through 6.2 innings pitched against the New York Mets.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked good in their games this season with their 41-33 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL East. They have also looked good in their ballpark this year with their 25-21 home record. Meanwhile, the Tigers have looked great in their games this season with their 47-27 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL Central with one of the best records in the entire MLB. They have also been a good road team with their 22-16 road record this season. The Tigers have been great all season, but the Rays have actually been the hotter team coming into this series as they are 7-3 in their last 10 games while the Tigers are 6-4. The Rays also have the better pitching matchup in this one and they can take advantage of that against a Tigers team that hasn't been as good on the road. Flaherty is on the mound for the Tigers and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 5-7 with a 4.03 ERA and he has been giving up quite a few runs all year. His team has won 3 of the last 4 games he started in, but he just gave up 7 earned runs in his last start and hasn't looked good this month. He won't pitch as well on the road here and the Rays are going to have a solid starter on the mound in Baz. Baz is 6-3 with a 4.54 ERA and he is coming off a great start in which he gave up no runs. He hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts lately either, and the team has won 5 games in a row now with him starting too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Tigers Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, June 20, 2025 (7:05 pm ET start time) is Rays 6 Tigers 5.

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Detroit Tigers: 214-190 (+38.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 108-96 (+32.4 units) on the moneyline in road games. 160-150 (+20.4 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 9-5 UNDER against AL East opponents.

Tampa Bay Rays: 156-144 (-7.1 units) on the moneyline vs. good fielding teams - averaging 0.6 errors/game or less. 64-71 (-10.4 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.300 or better. 26-26 (-7 units) on the moneyline vs. a starting pitcher who gives up 1 or more HR's/starts. 27-16 UNDER in home games.

Detroit Tigers:  J. Jobe (SP) Sixty Day IL - Flexor. J. Foley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. A. Cobb (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. M. Vierling (CF) Ten Day IL - Shoulder. R. Olson (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Finger. T. Madden (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. Urquidy (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Lange (RP) Sixty Day IL - Lat.

Tampa Bay Rays:  M. Rodriguez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. J. DeLuca (CF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. H. Kim (SS) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. H. Bigge (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Lat. S. McClanahan (SP) Sixty Day IL - Triceps. R. Palacios (LF) Ten Day IL - Knee. A. Faedo (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. N. Lavender (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“His story in Detroit is not over, but it’s been written a couple of different ways. He came in as a high-profile [free agent], big contract, part of this signal that there were better times ahead. And he’s had to ride a pretty big roller coaster in his time here, and now he’s contributing to a good team, doing a lot of different things for us and being that same joyful young guy behind the scenes.” - A.J. Hinch on Javier Baez after his team’s win against the Pirates in their game on Tuesday.

“Big picture, it's a single game. But the way that the game was won, the way that it was played, the at-bats that were put together, the bullpen that came through -- I mean, it's hard to quantify just what this can do for a team.” - Brandon Lowe after their win against the Orioles in their game on Wednesday.

Gleyber Torres (R) 2B

Jahmai Jones (R) DH

Riley Greene (L) LF

Spencer Torkelson (R) 1B

Wenceel Pérez (S) RF

Zach McKinstry (L) 3B

Dillon Dingler (R) C

Javier Báez (R) SS

Parker Meadows (L) CF

Yandy Díaz (R) 1B

Curtis Mead (R) 2B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Christopher Morel (R) LF

Jonathan Aranda (L) DH

Jake Mangum (S) CF

José Caballero (R) RF

Danny Jansen (R) C

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Batting Average:  Brewer Hicklen (.667)

Hits:  Riley Greene (77)

Home Runs:  Spencer Torkelson (16)

RBI:  Riley Greene (51)

Stolen Bases:  Zach McKinstry (7)

Wins:  Tarik Skubal (7)

Saves:  Will Vest (12)

ERA:  Tyler Owens (0.00)

Batting Average:  Richie Palacios (.750)

Hits:  Jonathan Aranda (75)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (17)

RBI:  Junior Caminero (48)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (27)

Wins:  Zack Littell (6)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (13)

ERA:  Joe Boyle (0.00)

Managers:

Detroit Tigers: A.J. Hinch (5th season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (11th season)