Tampa Bay Rays vs Atlanta Braves Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/15/2024

Game Time: 4:10 pm ET, Saturday, June 15, 2024

Venue:  Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch:  BSSUN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +130, Braves -155; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +130, Braves -155; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +135, Braves -160; Over/Under:  9 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  33-36 (5th place, AL East)

Atlanta Braves:  36-30 (2nd place, NL East)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  5-5 last 10

Atlanta Braves:  4-6 last 10

The Rays are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 33-36 record overall and have a road record of 14-13. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Braves on Saturday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 27th in the MLB with a .656 OPS. Zack Littell is their starting pitcher on Friday while Ryan Pepiot is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 4-3 with a 4.17 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 4 ER, 2 HR, and 0 BB with 9 Ks on 9 hits through 6 IP against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Braves are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 36-30 record overall and have a home record of 19-12. 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 13th in the MLB with a .706 OPS. Chris Sale is their starting pitcher on Friday while Charlie Morton is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 3-3 with a 4.12 ERA this season. His team lost 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 0 homers, and 0 BB with 3 strikeouts on 7 hits through 5 innings played against the Washington Nationals.

The current betting odds have the Braves listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Braves have looked good in their games this season with their 36-30 record overall, but that record only has them in 2nd place of the NL East and they have a mountain to climb to try and catch the Philadelphia Phillies in 1st place. They have looked a lot better in their home games though with their 19-12 home record. Meanwhile, the Rays haven't looked good in their games this season with their 33-36 record overall and after being at the top of the AL East over the last few years, they are finally taking a turn as they are at the bottom of the AL East. They are going to have Pepiot starting in this game and he is 4-3 with a 4.17 ERA. He gave up 4 earned runs in his last start and he has been giving up more runs in his starts lately, starting to fall apart in June. The Braves will have Morton on the mound here and he is 3-3 with a 4.12 ERA. He also gave up 4 earned runs in his last start and the team hasn't had any success in their games lately either, losing 4 of the last 5 games he started in, but the Braves managed to get a win against the Orioles in their last game of that series so they will have some momentum coming into this one. The Rays have been terrible on offense this season too. The Braves haven't been as good as previous years, but their offense has still been a lot better than the Rays this season and that will be a factor here at home where the Braves have looked a lot better as a team. The best way to place a bet here is on the Braves to win this game. 

Rays Braves Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, June 15, 2024 (4:10 pm ET start time) is Braves 8 Rays 4.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 33-36 (-11 units) on the moneyline in all games. 95-96 (-15.2 units) on the moneyline in road games. 45-68 (-15.8 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 8-3 UNDER as a road underdog of +100 to +150. 28-19 UNDER on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5. 

Atlanta Braves: 243-155 (+7.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 220-117 (+21 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 128-69 (+8.6 units) on the moneyline in home games. 25-13 UNDER as a favorite of -150 or more. 30-10 UNDER against right-handed starters. 18-3 UNDER in an inter-league game.

Tampa Bay Rays:  R. Lovelady (RP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. J. Waguespack (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. W. Franco (SS) Out indefinitely - Poss. Suspension. J. Springs (RP) Early Aug - Elbow. D. Rasmussen (RP) Mid Aug - Elbow. S. McClanahan (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Atlanta Braves:  R. Acuna Jr. (RF) out for season - Lower Body. J. Herget (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. S. Strider (SP) out for season - Elbow. A. Smith-Shawver (RP) Out indefinitely - Oblique. A. Minter (RP) Out indefinitely - Hip. T. Matzek (RP) Out indefinitely - Elbow.

“That was amazing. I felt great. I was happy (manager Kevin Cash) let me run out there for the seventh.” - Taj Bradley after their win against the Cubs in their game on Thursday.

“They’re all good, but that was an especially good ballgame to win.” - Brian Snitker after his team’s win against the Orioles in their game on Thursday.

Yandy Díaz (R) 1B

Randy Arozarena (R) LF

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Amed Rosario (R) DH

Jose Siri (R) CF

José Caballero (R) SS

Jonny DeLuca (R) RF

Alex Jackson (R) C

Michael Harris II (L) CF

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Marcell Ozuna (R) DH

Matt Olson (L) 1B

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Travis d'Arnaud (R) C

Adam Duvall (R) RF

Jarred Kelenic (L) LF

Orlando Arcia (R) SS

Batting Average:  Amed Rosario (.295)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (70)

Home Runs:  Isaac Paredes (10)

RBI:  Isaac Paredes (38)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (22)

Wins:  Garrett Cleavinger (4)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (9)

ERA:  Edwin Uceta (0.00)

Batting Average:  Marcell Ozuna (.322)

Hits:  Marcell Ozuna (79)

Home Runs:  Marcell Ozuna (18)

RBI:  Marcell Ozuna (57)

Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuña (16)

Wins:  Chris Sale (8)

Saves:  Raisel Iglesias (17)

ERA:  AJ Smith-Shawver (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (10th season)

Atlanta Braves: Brian Snitker (9th season)