La Dodgers Dodgers vs Tampa Bay Rays Picks and Predictions August 24th 2024

Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers will host the Rays on Saturday, with the game getting started at 9:10 PM ET from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. The Dodgers are currently on a five-game winning streak and are 77-52 overall, while the Rays are 64-64 and are 4th in the AL East.

Los Angeles is the heavy favorite for Saturday’s matchup, as their money line odds are sitting at -184 compared to the Rays at +155. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and this one can be seen on BSSUN.

Tampa Bay vs. Los Angeles Key Information

Taj Bradley gets the start for the Rays today as he faces the Dodgers on the road. He has made 18 starts this season and has a record of 6-8 with an ERA of 3.55. Bradley’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.16. In his last outing, he went six innings and took the loss, giving up three earned runs on five hits. Bradley has taken the loss in each of his last four outings. His ERA on the road is 5.82, compared to 3.11 at home. For the year, he has given up 15 homers and is averaging 10.13 strikeouts per nine innings.

So far this season, the Rays offense has been one of the worst in the league, averaging just 3.8 runs per game. Their team batting average of .230 is 20th in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of home runs. However, they do have a few guys who have put up some solid power numbers, as they have three different players with at least 16 homers. Yandy Diaz has been the most consistent hitter for the Rays this season, as he is batting .272 and leads the team with 55 RBIs.

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Christopher Morel has been on a tear of late, going 7/19 in his last five games with a home run and two RBIs. This has pushed his season average up to just .196. Jose Siri has also struggled this season, hitting just .196 and is also batting .188 in his last five games.

Clayton Kershaw has started the season with a pair of wins, and he will be looking to make it three in a row as the Dodgers host the Rays. Kershaw has been very sharp to start the year, as he has 14 strikeouts and just 3 walks in his first two starts. He’s coming off a 6-inning outing against the Cardinals where he allowed just 4 hits and 0 earned runs.

Shohei Ohtani has been one of the league’s top power threats this season, as his 40 home runs are 2nd in the league and lead the Dodgers. He is also 6th in the league with 92 RBIs. Ohtani has gone deep three times in his last nine games, but he is batting just .231 during that stretch. Teoscar Hernandez is also a big power threat in the lineup, as he is 12th in the league with 26 homers and is batting .265 for the season.

Los Angeles comes into the game as one of the league’s top offenses, as they are 5th in runs per game (4.9), and are one of the league’s top home run-hitting teams. As a team, they are batting .253, which is 6th in the league, and are 3rd in the league in team OPS. The Dodgers have a few hitters who are swinging hot bats right now, with Gavin Lux hitting .344 with three homers in his last nine games.

As the Dodgers host the Rays today, we are leaning towards the Dodgers picking up the win at home. We also have this as the lowest projected scoring game of the day, but with the line sitting at 8 runs, we are still leaning towards taking the over. Clayton Kershaw is our 3rd ranked starting pitcher in terms of strikeouts, and we have him finishing with the 3rd most on the day.

Shohei Ohtani and Dodgers Aim for Another Big Win Against Rays

Shohei Ohtani’s most memorable season with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been absolutely spectacular. The two-time MVP, endorsed in the offseason, has already carved his name into the set of experiences books, and with the season as yet continuous, there’s potential for much more remarkable achievements. On Friday night, Ohtani made headlines by turning into the 6th player in MLB history to join the lofty 40-40 club, a rare accomplishment for players who hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in a single season.

However, Ohtani didn’t stop there. In the 10th inning of Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, he conveyed a game-dominating grand slam, getting a 7-3 triumph for the Dodgers. This dramatic grand slam also marked his 40th of the season, further cementing his status as quite possibly of baseball’s most jolting talent.

The Dodgers have 33 regular-season games left, and with Ohtani’s flow pace, he’s currently looking at a phenomenal 50-50 season — a feat no player in MLB history has at any point accomplished. At the point when asked about the chance, Ohtani submissively emphasized the importance of adding to team triumphs:

“I think the most important thing is to be able to contribute to winning a game. Obviously, the closer I get to 50-50, the more I’m contributing to team wins, so if that’s how it is, I’m happy with that,” Ohtani said through his interpreter, Will Ireton.

Kershaw Looks to Continue Strong Comeback

As the Dodgers ride a five-game series of wins, they’ll turn veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw for Saturday’s matchup against the Rays. Kershaw, in his 6th start of the season, has shown significant improvement after a challenging start to his comeback. His early excursions were marked by certain battles, yet from that point forward, he’s been in fine structure, allowing only two runs more than 16 1/3 innings in his last three starts against extreme adversaries like the Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, and St. Louis Cardinals.

Kershaw’s most recent outing against the Cardinals was particularly noteworthy. He pitched six scoreless innings, his longest and most dominant performance since returning from injury. Reflecting on his progress, Kershaw shared,

“Honestly, I don’t even remember what it felt like to not have your shoulder hurt. It’s nice.”

Kershaw’s track record against the Rays is impressive as well. In three regular-season starts against Tampa Bay, he holds a 2-0 record with a 3.26 ERA. Additionally, Dodgers fans will fondly remember his two stellar starts against the Rays in the 2020 World Series, where he went 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA, playing a crucial role in securing the Dodgers’ championship.

Rays Seek to Bounce Back with Bradley on the Mound

The Tampa Bay Rays, presently faltering from Ohtani’s late-game heroics, will attempt to return on Saturday with right-hander Taj Bradley taking the hill. Bradley has had an all over season, and after a solid disagreement July where he posted three successive scoreless trips and a stretch of nine games with a 5-1 record and a 0.82 ERA, he has battled lately. Over his last four starts, Bradley is 0-4 with a 8.10 ERA, remembering a loss to the Oakland Athletics for Monday, where he allowed three runs north of six innings.

Despite these struggles, Bradley will be facing the Dodgers for the first time in his career, offering him an opportunity to turn things around against a formidable opponent.

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Friday’s Game: A Preview of What’s to Come?

Friday’s game set up for what vows to be a thrilling series between two cutthroat teams. For the Rays, Junior Caminero furnished a feature with his most memorable homer of the season, while Christopher Morel added his third homer since joining the team from the Chicago Whelps at the trade deadline.

Tampa Bay left-hander Tyler Alexander managed to keep the Dodgers’ offense at bay early on, yet Enrique Hernandez attached the game with a three-run homer in the fifth inning. This set up for Ohtani’s grand slam, a second that Rays manager Kevin Cash acknowledged as the defining moment:

“Yeah, obviously a dangerous hitter,” Cash said. “We talked about trying to get ahead with the slider. Threw one that probably got too much of the zone, and he put a good swing on it.”

As the Dodgers and Rays prepare to face off again on Saturday night, all eyes will be on Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw, two stars at various stages of their careers however both equally capable of conveying game-changing performances. With Ohtani chasing history and Kershaw hoping to harden his comeback, this matchup vows to be one to watch.