The Padres and Rays are set to face off in an interleague matchup at 1:40 PM ET on Sunday. This one is being played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, and the Padres are favored on the money line (-139) compared to the Rays at +119. The over/under line is at 7 runs.
San Diego will be starting Dylan Cease, while the Rays are sending Ryan Pepiot to the mound. The Padres are 77-61 and are 3rd in the NL West, while the Rays are 4th in the AL East with a record of 67-68.
San Diego vs. Tampa Bay Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Padres at Rays
- Where: Tropicana Field St. Petersburg
- Date: Sunday, September 1st
- Betting Odds SD -139 | TB +119 O/U 7
Padres vs Rays Last Game Recap
It was all Tampa Bay in the last game of this series, as the Rays took down the Padres by a score of 11-4. The Rays offense only had two more hits than the Padres and struck out three more times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were favored at -124 on the money line.
This game featured a starting pitching matchup between Shane Baz for the Rays and Randy Vásquez for the Padres. Baz only went five innings but gave up just two hits and two earned runs. On the other side, Vásquez was tagged for nine runs in 4 1/3 innings of work.
Tampa Bay's two-through-five hitters did the most damage, as they combined for nine hits, three homers, and eight RBIs. Both Brandon Lowe and José Caballero each drove in four runs.
Padres Preview
San Diego is 5-5 in their last 10 games and 1-1 in this series vs. the Rays. They are 77-61 overall, which puts them 6 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. The Padres have a 40-29 road record and are 26-14-5 in series this season.
This season, the Padres' games have averaged 9.1 runs per game, resulting in a 75-62 over/under record. Their run line record is 71-67, with an average run differential of +0.5 runs per game. As underdogs on the run line, they are 36-17, but as favorites, they are 35-50.
Dylan Cease will be looking to bounce back from his last outing, where he finished with a no-decision. Against the Cardinals, Cease gave up four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. He issued four walks in that outing. Cease has made 28 starts this year and has a record of 12-10. His ERA for the season is 3.57, along with a WHIP of 1.09. Cease has one complete game shutout this year and 14 quality starts. For the season, Cease has a total of 197 strikeouts, and his strikeouts per nine innings figure is 11.15.
San Diego has the league's top batting average this season at .265, and they are also the top home run hitting team in the league. Overall, they are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 10th in the league. The Padres have been even better on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per contest.
Manny Machado and Jurickson Profar have been the Padres' top power threats this season, as Machado's 23 homers are 13th in the league and Profar is just behind him with 21. Machado also leads the team with 83 RBIs. Over his last eight games, Machado is hitting .333 with three homers and nine RBIs. Jake Cronenworth comes into the game on a six-game hitting streak.
Rays Preview
After dropping the series finale against the Phillies, the Rays are 4-6 in their last 10 games and sit 11.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. Their overall series record is 21-17-5, but they have lost two straight series. Tampa Bay's run line record is 67-68, with an average run differential of -1.0 runs per game.
For the season, the Rays have an over/under record of 61-68, and the average total line in their games is 8 runs. When the total is set at 7 runs, their O/U record is 2-2-4. Tonight, they face the Padres with the over/under line at 7 runs, and the over has hit in three consecutive games for the Rays.
Ryan Pepiot will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Mariners, as he gets the start for the Rays today. In that start, which came on August 26th, Pepiot took the loss after giving up five runs (two earned) in six innings of work. Looking back further, he has made eight straight starts without giving up more than two earned runs. Overall, Pepiot is 7-6 with a 3.61 ERA and has a WHIP of 1.08. Opposing batters are hitting .202 off the right-hander this season.
As a team, the Rays are averaging just 3.9 runs per game (28th) and are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and slugging percentage. For the season, they are batting just .231, which is 19th in the majors. However, they do have three players with at least 17 homers, led by Christopher Morel, who is 15th in the league with 21 homers.
Yandy Diaz comes into the game with a team-high 59 RBIs and is batting .276 for the season. He has also gone 4/10 in his last three games, with two homers. Josh Lowe is also swinging a hot bat right now, as he is 9/19 in his last five games, with two homers.
Padres vs. Rays Prediction: Padres ML -139
Our predicted final score for this Padres and Rays matchup is 5-4 in favor of the Padres. If you're looking to place a bet on the money line, we would recommend taking the Padres, as their payout is -139.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Dylan Cease finishing with seven strikeouts compared to Ryan Pepiot with four. Cease is also projected to give up two earned runs, with Pepiot giving up four.
Offensively, we have the Padres finishing with nine hits compared to the Rays with eight. However, the Rays are projected to finish with 10 strikeouts, which is the 18th most in the league today.
