Free MLB Pick: Rays vs. Reds Odds
Looking for Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cincinnati Reds Free MLB predictions? MLB betting sees the Rays taking on the Reds on Friday, July 8th, 2022 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, OH. 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 Rays-Reds free pick.
2022 MLB Handicapping
(45-37) Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cincinnati Reds (29-54)
Date: Friday, July 8th, 2022
Time: 6:40 PM ET
Venue: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH
Projected Pitchers: Shane McClanahan (TB) vs. Luis Castillo (CIN)
MLB Moneyline Odds: Rays -175 / Reds +145
MLB run line Betting Odds: Rays -1.5 (-105) / Reds +1.5 (-115)
MLB Baseball Gambling Total: O/U: 8
The Rays and Reds will be starting a series in Cincinnati on Friday evening.
Tampa Bay is a good size favorite here with the total set at 8.
Shane McClanahan will be going against Luis Castillo, which should be a good pitcher’s matchup.
Tampa Bay Rays
There is no question the Rays have been up and down at times this season, but they have been playing better of late and appear to be headed in the right direction.
As is the case in a lot of years, this is not the most talented team out there, but they are still quite dangerous and are never an easy out for anyone.
When they are really clicking, they get plenty of offensive production to go along with strong pitching. I would say they are not as balanced this year as in past years because the rotation and pen have some more question marks than before, but they can still work through that.
Tampa has looked quite good in their last two series and they could not have happened at a better part of the season.
After dropping the first two games with the Blue Jays last week, they were able to win the next three in a very important series. Then, they went into Boston this week and took two of three from the Red Sox. Given how close the 2-4 teams are in the AL East, the importance of playing well in those games is very high.
Coming into this game, they lead Boston by half a game and Toronto by one game. Unless something unexpected happens, it will likely remain tight with those teams for the rest of the season.
As these guys start a series with the Reds, the mission really has to be to get the sweep. When facing off with a team they are much better than, there is really no excuse to not play well for all of them.
Shane McClanahan will be getting the ball in the opener and he has been one of the more impressive pitchers in this league. Whether it be his strikeout numbers, WHIP, ERA, FIP, etc., all of his stats have been very impressive and there is a very good chance he wins the Cy Young in 2022.
Cincinnati Reds
As the games keep going on, the Reds just continue to be a disaster of a team. That really is not surprising, though.
There was a small percentage of people out there that thought they might get a little better as the year went on, but that really has not happened. They might not break a record for their terrible play, but it is not as if there have been any massive improvements with these guys.
I would agree they do have the players to have a better record than this, but as we know, these games are not played on paper. It is all about what a team can do on the field and the bottom line is, that they have not done a whole lot.
As I look at this team, I am really not impressed by them on either side of the field. There is no question they need to make some improvements to their roster, but there definitely is no guarantee of that.
The offense was supposed to be their biggest strength this year, but it still has not really stood out. It is not to say they do not have the ability to score runs, but they do not do it with enough regularity to the point that it makes a difference.
The pitching has been the worst part of their game no matter how you slice it. For the most part, the rotation and bullpen have been very weak and it has cost them the entire season. If Cincinnati does not get better in this area, they cannot realistically expect to start winning all that many more games in the future.
After losing two of three from the Mets, it does not get any easier with the Rays coming to town here. This is going to be a very tricky series for the Reds in a lot of ways and if they are not careful, it could end up being a pretty ugly one.
Despite the pitching not being great this season, one guy who has been as advertised is Luis Castillo. He has proven to once again be their best starter and it would not shock a lot of people if he is no longer a Red at the deadline.
MLB Baseball Betting Trends:
- The Rays are 5-0 in their last 5 games vs a right-handed starter.
- The Rays are 8-2 in their last 10 vs. the National League Central.
- The Reds are 6-15 in their last 21 games.
- The Reds are 16-40 in their last 56 games vs. the American League East.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cincinnati Reds MLB Prediction:
The Rays have been playing some better ball of late and they are looking more like themselves. In this one here, I do not see them slowing down.
All season long, McClanahan has been one of the best arms in the league and I do not him letting up on Friday. Against this lineup, he is more than capable of keeping up his great stuff.
It would not surprise me if Castillo is solid here, but I still expect Tampa to do enough against him and have some more success against their relievers.
I like the Rays at -1.5 here.
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