Free MLB Pick: Pirates vs. Rays Odds
Looking for Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Tampa Bay Rays Free MLB predictions? MLB betting sees the Pirates taking on the Rays on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all MLB baseball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily MLB predictions like this Pirates-Rays free pick.
2022 MLB Handicapping
(29-41) Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Tampa Bay Rays (38-32)
Date: Saturday, June 25th, 2022
Time: 1:10 PM ET
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Projected Pitchers: JT Brubaker (PIT) vs. Corey Kluber (TB)
MLB Moneyline Odds: Pirates +165 / Rays -200
MLB run line Betting Odds: Pirates +1.5(-135 )/ Rays -1.5 (+115)
MLB Baseball Gambling Total: O/U: 7.5
The Pirates and Rays will be squaring off for their second game of the series on Saturday afternoon.
Tampa is a very heavy favorite at home here with the total sitting at 7.5.
JT Brubaker and Corey Kluber are the opposing pitchers in this one.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates have not had a great season this year, but they have been better than in past years, which is at least encouraging for them.
For the first time in a while, they are at least a little bit relevant and are not a total bottom feeder. This would not be a big deal for a lot of other teams, but when you have struggled as much as this team has before, you will take anything.
Clearly, their division is a two-team race, but it is not as if Pittsburgh is totally buried in the basement of the Central, which I do feel has some folks surprised.
Coming into this game, this squad has a record of 29-41 and is out of 1st place by 9.5 games. It will be very hard to gain a ton of ground there, but we have seen craziness happen before.
With all of that, this is still a team that is not overly talented, which is why it will be hard for them to truly compete with the top teams in the league. They are really going to have to acquire some better players around the diamond for them to be a consistent winner in this league.
As of right now, I feel the pitching is an issue that really has to get addressed. I am really not sold on the rotation or the pen and until that gets a lot better, it is hard to see this team as a threat in the NL.
There is no question this series with the Rays is going to be a tough one and the Buckos did not start it off the way they wanted with a 4-3 loss. Mitch Keller pitched solid and gave his team a chance to win, but it was not enough when all was said and done.
JT Brubaker will be on the hill here and he has pitched a little better than the numbers might indicate. Look, I get that the ERA of 4.11 is nothing great, but he should have a better record than 1-7.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays have been a solid group this season and have looked good for the most part, but I still feel there is something not quite right with this team.
I know it can be hard to compare a team to past teams, but I just do not feel this group is that of a typical Rays team and that is not a good thing.
At this point in the season, Tampa would like to be playing a lot more consistently and it just has not happened yet. Of course, it can still happen as the year goes on, which is what they are hoping happens.
This is an organization that has never solely been about talent, but you still need it to win at a high level. It is not as if they are devoid of good players, but I would not say their lineup is all that dangerous and their pitching is not as good as it has been in past seasons.
With them playing up-and-down baseball and the Red Sox being one of the hottest teams in baseball, they allowed Boston to climb back in the standings and they now lead them by 1.5 games.
If I was Tampa, I would figure out a way to acquire some proven hitters in this lineup at the deadline. It is well documented that they have had trouble scoring runs at times and that has to get better as the year rolls on.
In the win on Friday, Jeffrey Springs went 6 innings, allowed 3 earned runs, and punched out 9 batters. After he left, the bullpen did their job and did not allow a run.
Tampa will be turning to Corey Kluber in this one and he has seen mixed results so far. Clearly, he is not the guy he once was, but he has still been effective at times. When facing a lineup like this, it is important that he has a strong outing.
MLB Baseball Betting Trends:
- The Pirates are 16-35 in their last 51 interleague games.
- The Pirates are 5-13 in their last 18 games.
- The Rays are 6-0 in their last 6 vs the NL Central.
- The Rays are 26-11 in their last 37 during game 2 of a series.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Tampa Bay Rays MLB Prediction:
The Rays were able to get strong pitching and enough offense in the first game. I could see them following a similar script here.
For me, it is hard to have all that much confidence in Brubaker. The offense for Tampa has struggled at times, but they should be able to get to him and that bullpen.
Kluber does not have to dominate here. As long as he is effective and can pass it to the bullpen, then his team should like their chances.
I like the Rays laying the runs at home.
4* Free MLB Betting Pick: Rays Runline
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