The Miami Marlins (39-67) and Tampa Bay Rays (54-52) will kick off a two-game series on Tuesday, July 30, at 6:50 PM ET in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The current moneyline odds show the Rays as -175 favored.
The Marlins recently ended their two-game winning streak with a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. During that series, they averaged 5.00 runs a game, allowing the Brewers to score 3.66 runs.
They will attempt to get back on track against the Rays but need strong pitching. The problem is that they will have Edward Cabrera (1-3) start on the mound. He has a 7.04 ERA with a 1.62 WHIP. The team averages 4.48, so he will need a drastically better performance.
Offensively, they have done a solid job against good defensive teams. Bryan De La Cruz leads them with 18 home runs, a batting average of .245, and 51 RBIs. They will need a solid start to help push along the offense.
The Marlins put up .237 at the plate while allowing opponents to get up .254. This slightly negative ratio will likely hurt them here, especially if they let the Rays do more damage at the plate.
The Rays are coming off a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, which is their second in a row heading into this matchup. They averaged 2.66 runs while allowing 1.33 in those three games.
Jeffrey Springs will get the start but has no action on the season yet for stats. Last season, he was 2-0 with an ERA of 0.56 and a WHIP of 0.50. The team boasts a 4.07 ERA, so he has a good opportunity to hover near this.
The offense has been potent with good leaders such as Yandy Diaz and Jose Siri. Diaz leads the team with 47 RBIs and a .270 batting average. Siri has been positive for them and leads them with 14 homers.
The Rays are getting .234 at the plate and are allowing their opponents to hover around .242. This is similar to what the Marlins get, but arguably better.
MyBookie offers the betting odds for this MLB showing, with the Rays favored for success. If you consider what market insights suggest, then the Rays have a 77.9 percent chance of winning.
The Rays have already defeated the Marlins twice this season without a loss. The Rays have averaged 7.00 runs each game while allowing the Marlins to get 4.00 runs per game. Look for the Rays to win by a similar margin.
