Wednesday's interleague matchup between the Rays and Phillies has a first pitch set for 6:40 PM ET from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The Phillies are -204 on the money line compared to the Rays at +172. The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs.
Shane Baz will start for the Rays, and he is facing off against Zack Wheeler. The Rays are 71-74 this season, while the Phillies are 87-58. Philadelphia is currently on a two-game winning streak and is first in the NL East, while the Rays are 4th in the AL East.
Tampa Bay vs. Philadelphia Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Rays at Phillies
- Where: Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia
- Date: Wednesday, September 11th
- Betting Odds PHI -204 | TB +172 O/U 7.5
Rays vs Phillies Last Game Recap
Philadelphia cruised to a 9-4 win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. The Phillies had a huge 8th inning, scoring five of their nine runs. As for the Rays, they scored their final run in the 6th. Heading into the game, the Phillies were favored at -181 on the money line.
Ranger Suarez got the start for the Phillies, going just 5 1/3 innings while giving up four runs and striking out two. He did not factor into the decision. Jose Alvarado got the win out of the bullpen. Richard Lovelady took the loss for the Rays out of the bullpen.
Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber each homered for the Phillies, while Bryce Harper went 4/5 with three runs scored. Cal Stevenson also had a two RBI game at the plate.
Rays Preview
Heading into today's game, the Rays are 71-74 overall and trail the Yankees by 12 games in the AL East. They have lost two straight games and are down 0-2 in the series vs. the Phillies. This season, the Rays have an over/under record of 23-25 when the total line is set at 7.5 runs.
On the run line, the Rays are 40-30 as underdogs and 24-41 as favorites. Their average run margin for the season is -0.4, and their games have averaged 8.1 runs per game. So far, 57.2% of their games have had over/under lines higher than today's line of 7.5 runs.
Right-hander Shane Baz is on the mound for the Rays today as he faces the Phillies on the road. Baz has made 10 starts this year and has a record of 2-3 with an ERA of 3.27. In his 10 appearances, he has turned in five quality starts and is coming off a rough outing where he took the loss. Against the Orioles, Baz went six innings, giving up two earned runs, and took the loss. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts. One of those wins came on the road, where he has a record of 1-2 and an ERA of 2.95.
Yandy Diaz has been on a tear of late for the Rays, going 10/25 in his last six games with two homers. For the season, he is batting .280 and leads the team with 65 RBIs. Christopher Morel and Jose Siri are both near the top of the Rays' home run leaderboard, but both have struggled with their batting averages, with Morel hitting just .198 and Siri at .186.
As a team, the Rays are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 28th in the league. Their team batting average of .231 is also near the bottom of the league. Overall, they are 24th in home runs and have the 20th OPS in the league.
Phillies Preview
Philadelphia has an overall series record of 25-16-7 this season, and they are 49-25 at home. Against the run line, they are 34-40 at home, with a scoring margin of +1.2 runs per game. The Phillies have an over/under record of 68-70, with the average total line in their games being 8 runs.
The Phillies are 74-43 straight up as favorites and 15-13 against the run line as underdogs. They currently lead the NL East by eight games over the Mets, with an 87-58 record. Philadelphia has won four straight games at home and two straight overall.
Right-hander Zack Wheeler gets the start for the Phillies today as he faces the Rays at home. Wheeler has made 28 starts this year and has a record of 14-6. His ERA is an impressive 2.59, along with a WHIP of .96. Wheeler has been pitching well recently, as he has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last three starts. In his most recent outing, he went six innings and gave up just one earned run. Wheeler finished with a no-decision in that outing. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
As a team, the Phillies are averaging 4.9 runs per game, which is 5th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. Overall, they are one of the league's top home run hitting teams, and they also have a collective batting average of .260, which is 4th in the league. Philadelphia's on-base percentage of .328 is also 4th in the MLB.
Kyle Schwarber has been on a tear of late, going 14/31 with seven homers over his last eight games. For the season, he is batting .251 with a league-leading 35 home runs. Schwarber's 95 RBIs are also the best mark in the league. Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm are also having strong seasons, with Harper batting .291 with 26 homers, and Bohm is hitting .290 with 13 homers.
Rays vs. Phillies Prediction: Over 7.5 Runs +100
Our prediction for today's Rays vs. Phillies matchup is to take the Phillies to win at -204. However, with this payout not being great, we recommend taking the over at 7.5 runs, with the payout being +100.
If you're looking for a starting pitcher to pick up a win, Zack Wheeler is a great option, as he has the second-best chances among starters to pick up a win. Wheeler is also projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the third-best among starters.
