Detroit Tigers vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/21/2025

Game Time: 12:10 pm ET, Saturday, June 21, 2025

Venue:  George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL

Where to Watch:  MLBN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Tigers +104, Rays -126; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Tigers +105, Rays -125; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Tigers +105, Rays -125; Over/Under:  9 runs

Detroit Tigers:  48-28 (1st place, AL Central)

Tampa Bay Rays:  41-34 (2nd place, AL East)

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Detroit Tigers:  6-4 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  6-4 last 10

The Tigers are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 48-28 record overall and have a road record of 22-16. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .739 OPS. Jack Flaherty is their starting pitcher on Friday while Sawyer Gipson-Long is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 0-0 with a 3.97 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 3 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 3 SO on 5 hits through 3.2 IP against the Chicago White Sox.

The Rays are entering this series off a loss and split their 4-game series against the Baltimore Orioles 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 41-34 record overall and have a home record of 25-22. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Tigers on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 14th in the MLB with a .718 OPS. Shane Baz is their starting pitcher on Friday while Ryan Pepiot is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 4-6 with a 3.11 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 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 2 walks with 11 strikeouts on 4 hits through 8 innings pitched against the Baltimore Orioles.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked good in their games this season with their 41-34 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 25-22 home record. Meanwhile, the Tigers have looked great in their games this season with their 48-28 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 looked good in their games lately, but they are going with Gipson-Long in this one and he hasn't made many appearances this season. He is 0-0 with a 3.97 ERA and only has 3 appearances this year and 1 start. He gave up 3 earned runs in less than 4 innings in his only start this year and the Rays have been putting up runs in their games lately. The Rays are going with Pepiot in this one and he has looked good this year. He is 4-6 with a 3.11 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs lately. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and the team has won 2 of their last 3 games with him starting too. The Tigers have been great all season, but lately they haven't been at their best and they did just play in a double-header on Thursday that will have a negative impact on their bullpen. The Rays have been rolling lately and they can edge out the Tigers at home here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Tigers Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, June 21, 2025 (12:10 pm ET start time) is Rays 3 Tigers 2.

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Detroit Tigers: 215-191 (+38.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 108-96 (+32.4 units) on the moneyline in road games. 160-151 (+19.4 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 9-5 UNDER against AL East opponents.

Tampa Bay Rays: 39-31 (-3.9 units) on the moneyline against AL Central opponents. 33-34 (-8.7 units) on the moneyline when the total is 9 to 9.5. 156-145 (-8.4 units) on the moneyline vs. good fielding teams - averaging 0.6 errors/game or less. 9-4 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 54% to 62%).

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.

“I was a little upset with the weather. From the third inning on, I felt like it was very manageable, so I just felt like we could have started that game a little bit later. Warming up, it was coming down pretty good, so that’s what I was more frustrated at.” - Tarik Skubal after their win against the Pirates in their game on Thursday.

“We’ve got a handful of guys that are putting together some really strong first halves.” - Kevin Cash on his team this season. 

Colt Keith (L) 3B

Gleyber Torres (R) 2B

Kerry Carpenter (L) RF

Riley Greene (L) DH

Spencer Torkelson (R) 1B

Wenceel Pérez (S) CF

Zach McKinstry (L) LF

Jake Rogers (R) C

Trey Sweeney (L) SS

Josh Lowe (L) RF

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Jake Mangum (S) LF

José Caballero (R) SS

Kameron Misner (L) CF

Danny Jansen (R) C

Batting Average:  Brewer Hicklen (.667)

Hits:  Riley Greene (80)

Home Runs:  Spencer Torkelson (16)

RBI:  Riley Greene (55)

Stolen Bases:  Zach McKinstry (7)

Wins:  Tarik Skubal (8)

Saves:  Will Vest (12)

ERA:  Tyler Owens (0.00)

Batting Average:  Richie Palacios (.750)

Hits:  Jonathan Aranda (76)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (17)

RBI:  Junior Caminero (48)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (28)

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)