The top two teams in the American League East will start a four-game series Thursday in Tampa Bay. The Baltimore Orioles salvaged the final game of the series at home over the Dodgers. The win was put them to 58-37 on the season. For Tampa Bay, they were handed a three-game sweep by the Texas Rangers. The loss was their fourth straight. They are now 60-39, and in a virtual tie with the Orioles for the divisional lead.
The Tampa Bay Rays are favorites in this game. The Rays are listed at -165, while Baltimore is at +140. Tampa Bay is -1.5 (+120), while Baltimore +1.5 (-14). The total for this game is listed at 8.5 runs.’
Pitching Matchup for Thursday
Kyle Gibson will get the baseball for the Baltimore Orioles. Gibson is 9-6 on the season, with a 4.77 earned run average. The 35-year-old is having a solid season, but getting plenty of offensive help. The Orioles right-hander is coming off an outing against the Marlins, where he allowed 9 hits and 5 runs over 5.1 innings.
Tyler Glasnow gets the start for Tampa Bay. Glasnow, who is set to turn 30 years old next month, has been a big-time strikeout pitcher for the Rays. The righthander has made 9 starts and thrown 47.2 innings, striking out 71 batters. In his last 4 starts, Glasnow has 38 strikeouts over 22.1 innings.
Orioles Mash Unit Staying Hot
Baltimore needed a win badly on Wednesday, and they got it. They got it done with 8 runs in the game, including a fifth inning home run from Gunnar Henderson. The youngster now has 15 on the season. Ramon Urias also was huge for the Orioles, with three runs batted in on the game.
The Orioles are one of the top-scoring teams in all of Major League Baseball. The Orioles come into the game with just shy of 5 runs per game. The top offensive threats in the lineup remain Adley Rutschman, Anthony Santander, and Austin Hays.
Tampa Bay Seeking Early Season Magic
The Tampa Bay Rays were simply on fire to start the season. The Rays were 13-0 before their first loss of the season at Toronto. Since that time, though, Tampa Bay is just barely above .500. During the month of July, the Rays have dropped 11 out of 14 games. The offense is still one of the top’s in the league with 5.4 runs per game, but the timing has been off for Tampa Bay.
They will look to get back on track with a home series against Baltimore. The last time these two teams played, they split the two-game series. Tampa Bay won the final game of the series by scoring 7 runs. The Rays also lost two out of three in Baltimore earlier this season as well.
Rays Set the Tone
The Tampa Bay Rays have been in first place all season long. They started hot, and were hot for quite a while, but have cooled down. Baltimore has been pretty steady this season. Tampa Bay is not going to want to give up that spot. Look for them to come out with their hair on fire early in this game. The Rays offense gets going, and veteran Glasnow throws a solid game. Betting the Tampa Bay Rays -140 is the bet to make here for Thursday.
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