In the last of a three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (32-28) and the Los Angeles Angels (32-28) at Tropicana Field, Alex Colome (3-2, 4.54 ERA) and Garrett Richards (5-4, 4.14 ERA) get the ball. The Rays won the last game 4-2 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 11 and will air on FSN-W and SunSports.
In his most recent outing, Colome pitched 6.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out two and walking three in a 2-1 loss to the Mariners. David DeJesus (.312, 16 Rs, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday. In his pitching opportunities against the Rays, Richards is 2-1 with a 5.02 ERA. He meets a struggling Tampa Bay offense that’s batting just .238. Mike Trout (.285, 44 Rs, 16 HRs, 34 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
Tampa Bay is a slight +105 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. When playing as the underdog, the Rays have a 17-16 record and overall money line at +189. The Rays lead the AL in ERA with a 3.29 team average. The Rays don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking third in the league with a 1.18 WHIP. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out at Tropicana Field, leading the AL with 9.1 strikeouts per home game.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Angels come into this game with a win percentage of .529 when playing as the favorite (18-16) and an overall money line of -324. Los Angeles’s pitching staff and defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking fifth in the AL with only 4.0 runs allowed per game. They also allow just 8.0 hits per game, good for third in the AL.
In their previous five games this season, the Rays have a 3-2 record. The Rays will take on a right-hander (Richards) in this game and have a 20-20 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Colome will take the mound against the Angels, who have a 21-24 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rays are 2-2 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Angels are 1-3 in such matchups.
After a weak showing last week where they got in seven hits, the Angels need to step it up. The Rays have a record of 22-8 when opponents get seven hits or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Angels are 21-8. The Rays have a 22-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling near the bottom of the league based on total runs this season, Tampa Bay ranks 26th with 220 runs and Los Angeles is 21st with 235.
Tampa Bay and Los Angeles both rank in the bottom half of the league in walks. Tampa Bay sits at 18th with 165 this season and Los Angeles ranks 20th with 156.
The Rays are 23-14 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Angels are 20-17 when they hit at least one homer.
