Tampa Bay Rays vs Arizona Diamondbacks Picks and Predictions August 16th 2024

Friday’s interleague matchup between the Diamondbacks and Rays gets started at 6:50 PM ET from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. Arizona is currently on a six-game winning streak and has an overall record of 69-53, which has them 2nd in the NL West. The Rays are 4th in the AL East with a record of 59-61.

Arizona is the money line favorite today, with their odds sitting at -110 compared to the Rays at -109. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and Ryne Nelson is starting for the Diamondbacks, while Ryan Pepiot goes for the Rays.

Arizona vs. Tampa Bay Key Information

Ryne Nelson gets the start for the Diamondbacks today as he faces the Rays on the road. So far this season, he has made 20 starts and has a record of 8-6 with an ERA of 4.51. Nelson’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.32. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going 7 1/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on nine hits. Before that, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight starts. Nelson has made eight quality starts this year and is averaging 7.27 strikeouts per nine innings.

Arizona comes into the game as the top-scoring team in the league, averaging 5.3 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.5 runs per contest. The Diamondbacks have the league’s top team batting average at .261 and are also among the league leaders in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.

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Arizona’s top power hitter this season has been Ketel Marte, who has gone deep 30 times, which is 7th in the league. His 81 RBIs are also 11th in the MLB. Marte is batting .298 for the season and has gone 14/30 in his last seven games. Christian Walker is 2nd on the team with 23 homers and has a batting average of .254.

Ryan Pepiot gets the start for the Rays today and is facing the Diamondbacks at home. He has made 17 starts this season and has a record of 6-5 with a 3.92 ERA. Pepiot has pitched well recently, as he has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last three starts. In his most recent outing, he went six innings and didn’t give up a run. Pepiot finished that game with just two hits allowed. For the season, he has a WHIP of 1.08 and opponents are batting .195 off the right-hander.

So far this season, the Rays offense is averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 28th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and batting average. As a team, they are batting just .231. However, they do have a few guys who have been hitting the ball well of late, including Jose Caballero, who is 6/16 in his last seven games.

Christopher Morel is the team’s leader in home runs, but he is batting just .188 for the season. Yandy Diaz has the best batting average on the team at .270 and is 2nd on the team with 52 RBIs. Brandon Lowe is also near the top of the team’s home run and RBI leaderboards, but he has just three hits in his last 24 at-bats.

For an over/under pick, we are leaning towards the over, as this is our highest projected scoring game of the day. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Diamondbacks to pick up the win. Arizona’s offense is our top projected run-scoring team in the league today, and Ryne Nelson is 5th among today’s starters in projected innings pitched.

Rays Prepare to Face Red-Hot Diamondbacks in Crucial Series

The Tampa Bay Rays are set to have the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series beginning Friday night in St. Petersburg, Florida. This matchup comes at a critical second for the Rays, who are attempting to restore their season finisher trusts against perhaps of the most blazing group in baseball.

Diamondbacks on a Roll

The Arizona Diamondbacks enter this series with the longest dynamic series of wins in the National League, having dominated six straight matches. They gloat the best record in the majors since the Top pick break, going 20-5. The Diamondbacks have been ablaze, consistently closing the hole in the NL West standings and presently following the Los Angeles Dodgers by only two games. Arizona is attached with the San Diego Padres for second spot in the division, on account of a great 44-21 record since June, which is the most incredible in baseball over that range.

Their new achievement remembers areas of strength for a for a seven-game homestand where they removed three from four games from the NL East-driving Philadelphia Phillies and cleared the Colorado Rockies. This flood has situated the Diamondbacks as an impressive competitor as they make their push towards the postseason.

Arizona’s chief, Torey Lovullo, has directed his group through this noteworthy stretch, in any event, figuring out how to push the force along in spite of the brief loss of second baseman Ketel Marte, who is managing a poor quality lower leg sprain.

“The way that it’s everyday is a truly beneficial thing. He’s not going on the IL, which is shockingly better,” Lovullo said, communicating alleviation that Marte’s physical issue isn’t more serious. The Diamondbacks have gone 3-0 in Marte’s nonattendance, further featuring their profundity and versatility.

Rays Struggling Offensively

On the other side, the Tampa Bay Rays are facing their own set of challenges. After being swept by the Houston Astros, the Rays are reeling from an anemic offensive output that has plagued them throughout the season. Tampa Bay managed just four runs and 11 hits across three games against Houston, a performance that underscores the struggles they’ve faced at the plate all year.

With 42 games left in the regular season, the Rays find themselves on the outside looking in at the wild-card race. They currently sit behind the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, and Kansas City Royals, with the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners also ahead of them in the standings. To make the playoffs, the Rays will need to overcome these teams, but their path is complicated by their ongoing offensive woes.

The Rays rank near the bottom of the league in several key offensive categories, including team batting average (.231, 26th in MLB), home runs (110, 28th), and runs scored (464, 28th). Manager Kevin Cash’s squad has scored two runs or fewer in nine of their last 13 games and hasn’t hit a home run in four straight games, marking a season-high drought.

“Oh, they’re down. They’re down now because they care a lot and are doing everything they can to get out of it,” Cash said of his team’s struggles. “When you’re trying to get out of it, going against a Houston pitching staff is probably not the most ideal thing.”

Pitching Matchup: Nelson vs. Pepiot

The series opener will feature a pitching matchup between Arizona’s Ryne Nelson and Tampa Bay’s Ryan Pepiot. Nelson, who holds an 8-6 record with a 4.51 ERA, has been steady for the Diamondbacks, though he hasn’t earned a decision in his two August starts. He was effective in July, going 3-0 in six appearances, and he’ll look to continue his solid form against a struggling Rays lineup. Nelson has not faced the Rays in his career, which could give him an edge in this crucial start.

For Tampa Bay, Ryan Pepiot will make his re-visitation of the hill subsequent to recuperating from a right knee disease. Pepiot made a last recovery start with Twofold A Montgomery, where he struck out seven more than 3 1/3 innings, giving promising indications of status. The right-hander, who has a 6-5 record with a 3.92 Time, has had accomplishment against Arizona before, going 2-0 with a 2.20 Period in four vocation excursions (three beginnings) against the Diamondbacks.

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Key Series for The two Groups

This series is urgent for the two groups, however for various reasons. The Diamondbacks are planning to proceed with their flood and possibly overwhelm the Dodgers in the NL West, while the Rays are battling to keep their season finisher trusts alive in the jam-packed American League wild-card race. With Arizona’s offense clicking and Tampa Bay’s battles at the plate, this matchup could establish the vibe for the two groups as they head into the last stretch of the time.

As the Rays plan to confront quite possibly of the most sizzling group in baseball, they’ll have to figure out how to break out of their hostile downturn. In the mean time, the Diamondbacks will hope to profit by Tampa Bay’s battles and expand their series of wins as they proceed with their walk towards the postseason.