Los Angeles Dodgers vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/02/2025

Game Time: 1:10 pm ET, Saturday, August 2, 2025

Venue:  George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL

Where to Watch:  Sportsnet LA, FDSSUN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Dodgers -137, Rays +112; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Dodgers -135, Rays +115; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Dodgers -135, Rays +115; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Los Angeles Dodgers:  63-46 (1st place, NL West)

Tampa Bay Rays:  54-56 (4th place, AL East)

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Los Angeles Dodgers:  5-5 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  2-8 last 10

The Dodgers are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 63-46 record overall and have a road record of 28-25. 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 2nd in the MLB with a .772 OPS. Clayton Kershaw is their starting pitcher on Friday while Blake Snell is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 4 BB with 2 SO on 5 hits through 4 IP against the Atlanta Braves.

The Rays are entering this series off a loss and lost their 4-game series against the New York Yankees 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 54-55 record overall and have a home record of 31-28. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Dodgers on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 14th in the MLB with a .720 OPS. Shane Baz is their starting pitcher on Friday while Drew Rasmussen is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 8-5 with a 2.96 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 0 homers, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts on 4 hits through 5 innings pitched against the New York Yankees.

The current betting odds have the Dodgers listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Dodgers have looked great in their games this season with their 63-46 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL West with one of the best records in the entire MLB. They have also been a good road team this year with their 28-25 road record. Meanwhile, the Rays haven't looked great in their games this season with their 54-56 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the AL East. They have looked better in their own ballpark though with their 31-28 home record this season. The Dodgers haven't looked great lately as they are only 5-5 in their last 10 games, but the Rays have looked terrible lately as they are 2-8 and just had to make some tough decisions about the roster with the trade deadline. They had to trade away some players and now they aren't in the best position to make a move in this playoff race. The Dodgers will be looking to get hot though and they still have one of the best offenses in the MLB to help them out here. They are also going to have Snell on the mound here and he has looked great in his few starts this season. He is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA and has looked great in his 2 starts since coming back from injury. He gave up no runs in his last start and the Dodgers have won both games he started in too. The Rays are going with Rasmussen in this one and he has looked great this season too. He is 8-5 with a 2.96 ERA and hasn't been giving up many runs. The team has won 2 games in a row now with him starting and he only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start too, but this is still a struggling Rays team at the moment so it doesn't really matter how well he pitches here. The Dodgers can take advantage of the Rays in a bad slump and get themselves back on track. The best way to place a bet here is on the Dodgers to win this game. 

Dodgers Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, August 2, 2025 (1:10 pm ET start time) is Dodgers 4 Rays 2.

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Los Angeles Dodgers: 25-16 (+5.1 units) on the moneyline against AL East opponents. 241-136 (+6.2 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 84-47 (+12.1 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 25-14 OVER against AL East opponents.

Tampa Bay Rays: 70-92 (-5.2 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 167-159 (-11.2 units) on the moneyline vs. good fielding teams - averaging 0.6 errors/game or less. 115-127 (-13.6 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 23-15 OVER against NL West opponents.

Los Angeles Dodgers:  H. Kim (2B) Ten Day IL - Shoulder. T. Scott (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. M. Kopech (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. E. Hernandez (1B) Ten Day IL - Elbow. M. Muncy (3B) Ten Day IL - Knee. R. Sasaki (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. T. Gonsolin (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. E. Phillips (RP) Sixty Day IL - forearm. B. Snell (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. K. Hurt (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. M. Grove (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. B. Graterol (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. R. Ryan (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Stone (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

Tampa Bay Rays:  J. Aranda (1B) Day To Day - Wrist. Y. Diaz (1B) Ten Day IL - Forearm. C. Simpson (CF) Day To Day - Hand. H. Kim (SS) Ten Day IL - Back. S. Fairchild (RF) Ten Day IL - Oblique. H. Bigge (RP) Sixty Day IL - Lat. R. Palacios (LF) Sixty Day IL - Knee. M. Rodriguez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. S. McClanahan (SP) Sixty Day IL - Triceps. A. Faedo (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. N. Lavender (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

"In the moment, very concerning, because I didn't know what it was. Even when he went out, he said it was his hip. But when you hear cramping, then I feel much better. And talked to him, and he said it was the humidity. So I feel better knowing that.” - Dave Roberts on the injury to Shohei Ohtani after his team’s loss against the Reds in their game on Wednesday.

“I’ve said it for many, many years now. Cabby does a lot to help you win baseball games, whether it's defensively or on the bases, coming up with the big hit here and there.” - Kevin Cash on Jose Caballero getting traded. 

Mookie Betts (R) SS

Shohei Ohtani (L) P

Will Smith (R) C

Freddie Freeman (L) 1B

Teoscar Hernández (R) RF

Andy Pages (R) CF

Michael Conforto (L) LF

Miguel Rojas (R) 2B

Alex Freeland (S) 3B

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Josh Lowe (L) RF

Jonny DeLuca (R) CF

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Nick Fortes (R) C

Batting Average:  Alex Freeland (.500)

Hits:  Shohei Ohtani (113)

Home Runs:  Shohei Ohtani (38)

RBI:  Shohei Ohtani (73)

Stolen Bases:  Shohei Ohtani (13)

Wins:  Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9)

Saves:  Tanner Scott (19)

ERA:  Evan Phillips (0.00)

Batting Average:  Richie Palacios (.750)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (117)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (27)

RBI:  Junior Caminero (71)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (34)

Wins:  Shane Baz (8)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (18)

ERA:  Connor Seabold (1.35)

Managers:

Los Angeles Dodgers: Dave Roberts (10th season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (11th season)