Tampa Bay Rays vs San Diego Padres Picks and Predictions August 30th 2024

From Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, we have an interleague matchup between the Padres and Rays. First pitch is set for 6:50 PM ET, and APLTV is carrying this one on TV.

The Rays are the betting favorite, with their money line odds sitting at -133. The over/under line is at 7.5 runs, and the under is favored at -111. San Diego comes in with a record of 76-60, while the Rays are 66-67. Martín Pérez is starting for the Padres, and he is facing off against Taj Bradley for the Rays.

San Diego vs. Tampa Bay Key Information

Left-hander Martín Pérez gets the start for the Padres today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made 21 starts this season and has a record of 3-5 with an ERA of 4.60. Opponents are batting .285 this season off Pérez, and his WHIP is 1.51. In his last outing, Pérez finished with a no-decision, going 3 2/3 innings and giving up one earned run on four hits. Before that, he had put together three straight starts without giving up a home run. Pérez has allowed at least one homer in seven of his last 10 outings.

Coming into the game, the Padres are the league’s top-hitting team, with a team batting average of .265. They are also the league’s top home run hitting team, and are averaging 4.7 runs per game. San Diego is also one of the league’s toughest teams to strike out, averaging just 6 strikeouts per game.

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Jurickson Profar and Manny Machado have been the Padres’ top power threats this season, as Profar is 2nd on the team with 21 homers, and Machado is right behind him with 22. Machado’s 79 RBIs are 2nd on the team and 15th in the league. Luis Arraez has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/20 in his last five games and is batting .307 for the season.

Taj Bradley gets the start for the Rays today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Dodgers. In that start, he went six innings and gave up five earned runs on two homers. Bradley finished with a no-decision in the outing. Leading up to that start, he had taken the loss in three straight outings. Bradley’s ERA for the season is 3.77, along with a record of 6-8. Opponents are batting .222 off the right-hander this season. Looking back, he has allowed at least two homers in three of his last four outings.

For the season, the Rays are averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is the worst mark in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .230. However, they do have a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late, including Josh Lowe, who is 6/18 in his last five games with two homers.

Yandy Diaz has been the Rays’ best hitter this season, batting .273 with a team-high 57 RBIs. He also has 11 homers, which is the 4th best mark on the team. Christopher Morel and Jose Siri have also been struggling this season, with batting averages of .194 and .197, respectively.

Today’s matchup between the Padres and Rays has the lowest combined runs projection and 4th lowest hits projection. But with the line sitting at 7.5 runs, we are still leaning towards taking the over. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we are leaning towards the Padres to pick up the win. San Diego’s offense has the lowest team strikeout projection in the league today, and Martín Pérez is 15th among today’s starters in projected strikeouts.

Padres Hope Florida Sun Sparks Offense Against Rays

The San Diego Padres are looking to reignite their struggling offense as they open a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday in St. Petersburg, Florida. After managing just three hits in a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, the Padres are eager to find their rhythm at the plate in the Sunshine State.

Padres’ Offensive Struggles

San Diego has struggled to consistently produce runs, as highlighted in their recent series against the Cardinals. Despite splitting the four-game series, the Padres’ bats were largely silent in Thursday’s finale. The lone bright spot came from rookie Jackson Merrill, who hit his 20th home run of the season in the fifth inning. Merrill has been one of the Padres’ most reliable hitters recently, boasting a .311 average with seven homers and 22 RBIs in his last 14 games.

Manager Mike Shildt acknowledged the team’s effort, even in defeat. “You don’t have to win to have heart,” Shildt said.

“These guys give everything they have. Their guys threw the ball pretty well. I love how the guys went about things this whole series. If there’s a consolation prize, they battled their tails off every day. We had some opportunities, we just couldn’t cash in.”

Rays Looking to Rebound

The Rays, who are returning home after a 10-game road trip, also have something to prove. Tampa Bay has lost five of their last seven games, including a 6-2 defeat to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. The Rays will be looking to regain their momentum as they open this series against the Padres.

On the mound for the Rays will be right-hander Taj Bradley, who has struggled recently. Bradley, with a 6-8 record and a 3.77 ERA, has allowed seven home runs in his last five starts, resulting in a winless skid. In his most recent outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he surrendered six runs (five earned) on seven hits, including two home runs, over six innings. Bradley will be facing the Padres for the first time in his career.

Padres’ Pitching Plan

San Diego will counter with left-hander Martin Perez, who has been solid since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Perez holds a 3-5 record with a 4.60 ERA and has posted a 2.70 ERA in five starts with the Padres. Despite his recent consistency, Perez has had a tough time historically against the Rays, with a 4-7 record and a 5.98 ERA in 19 career appearances (16 starts) against them.

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Perez will need to be particularly cautious with Rays outfielder Josh Lowe, who has recently found his form at the plate. After enduring a significant slump, Lowe has gone 4-for-12 with two solo homers in his last three games. However, Lowe’s recent success at the plate is overshadowed by the positive news he received off the field: his mother, Wendy, who is battling brain cancer, received encouraging news that her tumor is decreasing in size.

“To take it in a different direction outside of baseball, I talked to my mom a few days ago on the phone and she went to the doctor and had a really good visit recently,” Lowe told Bally Sports Sun. “That just kinda changed my perspective about everything. We’re just playing a game. We’re so blessed to be here. There’s bigger things in life, things that are more important — and that just freed me up a bit.”

Series Outlook

As the Padres seek to reignite their offense and the Rays aim to rebound from their recent struggles, this series could be pivotal for both teams. The Florida sun might just be the remedy the Padres need to shake off their recent woes and find consistency at the plate. Meanwhile, the Rays will look to leverage home-field advantage to get back on track as the season enters its crucial final stretch. Both teams have a lot to play for, making this an intriguing matchup to watch.