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Philadelphia Phillies at Tampa Bay Rays Free Pick 04/15/18

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies are ready to square off against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. This interleague matchup will begin at 1:10 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Sun will broadcast the game.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Tampa Bay Rays Odds

Philadelphia (+130) is the underdog against Tampa Bay (-140) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this afternoon game at 8 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total sit at -115 for the under and -105 for the over. The game’s current runline odds stand at -170 for taking the Phillies +1.5 runs and +150 for the Rays -1.5 runs.

The Rays are just 3-11 SU and 7-6 ATS. The team’s lost 6.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline while gaining 0.1 units against the spread (ATS). Tampa Bay has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Phillies have gone 8-5 SU this year and are 3-9 ATS. Overall, the team’s accumulated 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this year, but have lost 7.8 units ATS. Philadelphia is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven.

Tampa Bay games have an over/under record of 7-6 so far in 2018. Philadelphia has an over/under record of 5-6-1.

The Phillies have gained 3.0 units and are 2-1 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in two of those games, compared to one that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Rays have lost 4.3 units and are 3-5 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in four of those games, compared to four that went under.

Ben Lively (0-1, 5.56 ERA) will get the nod for the visiting Phillies. The right-handed Lively started 15 games last year while finishing the season 4-7 overall with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

The Rays are putting the ball in the hands of lefty Ryan Yarbrough (0-0, 2.25 ERA), who also did not record any Major League pitching stats in 2017.

As a unit, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has yielded 5.1 runs per game overall this season. Its starters have an ERA of 5.20, a WHIP of 1.41 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.8. The bullpen has a 4.43 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 7.8 K/9.

Tampa Bay’s hitters are putting up 3.1 runs per contest, including 3.5 per game over its last 10 games and 3.4 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .250/.356/.335 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.

Second baseman Daniel Robertson and second baseman Joey Wendle have led the Rays’ batters this year. Robertson is hitting .316/.536/.368 with six hits, one RBI and six runs scored, and Wendle’s line is .278/.357/.500 with 10 hits, four RBIs and four runs.

For the visitors, Philadelphia’s pitchers have allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 8.34 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.08, along with a K-per-9 of 8.55.

Phillies hitters have slashed .231/.323/.398 on their way to 5.3 runs scored per game this year, including 5.7 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (5-0 SU).

Left fielder Rhys Hoskins and second baseman Cesar Hernandez have led Philadelphia’s offense. Hoskins is slashing .317/.442/.585 with 13 hits, 10 RBIs and eight runs scored, while Hernandez is hitting .277/.424/.447 with 13 hits, two homers, four RBIs and nine runs scored.

Compared to his overall season slash line of .296/.376/.425, Hernandez taken a step back when hitting left-handed pitching on the road last year, maintaining a slash line of .222/.308/.358 across 91 such plate appearances.

Philadelphia Phillies at Tampa Bay Rays MLB Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Rays, ATS Winner – Phillies, O/U – OVER

Notes

Betting Notes

The Phillies have won seven of their last eight games SU.

Tampa Bay has posted 18.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 19.8 over its last five.

The Phillies have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games, including seven over their last five.

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Written by GMS Previews

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