Chris Archer (6-16, 4.39 ERA) and Christian Friedrich (4-8, 4.84 ERA) start in the last of a three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (49-69) and the San Diego Padres (50-69) at Tropicana Field. The Rays won the last game 15-1, and Tampa Bay leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 17 and can be seen on FSSD.
Archer pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering five runs and striking out nine in a 6-3 defeat to the Yankees. Evan Longoria (.292, 63 Rs, 27 HRs, 72 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 3 for 5 with three runs, one home run, and two RBIs. Friedrich went 6.0 innings, surrendering four runs, striking out two and walking one in a 4-0 defeat to the Pirates in his most recent start. Yangervis Solarte (.290, 40 Rs, 13 HRs, 51 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Tampa Bay, a big -210 favorite, takes on San Diego. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at eight runs for this matchup. The Rays have an overall money line of -2,650 and a record as the favorite of 29-36. Tampa Bay is an impressive 3-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Rays have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 6.6 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.2 runs per game. Turning to the pitchers, the Rays are the top team in the AL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 8.1 hits per contest to their opponents this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Rays, who rank fourth in the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.3.
In the other locker room, San Diego is coming in with an overall money line of -160 and a disappointing record of 38-62 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 2-6 record and a 3-7 record SU. Offensively, the Padres have really picked up the pace in interleague games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.3 runs per game by averaging 5.6 in those contests. The Padres are an excellent base stealing team with 101 stolen bases, ranking third in the MLB. The Padres allow 4.9 runs per game, but does worse whenever an AL opponent is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average up to 8.4 against teams from the AL.
The Rays have the edge in the season series, 2-0. The Rays have a 12-16 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Friedrich takes the mound. Archer (RHP) will be on the hill against the Padres, who have a 35-53 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
Tampa Bay has won 39% (20-31) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, San Diego has won 43% (21-28) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Padres are going to have to step it up if they want to win this matchup. The Rays have a 14-2 record in games where opponents scored one run or less.
When they are outhit, the Padres are 9-50. The Rays have a 10-52 record when opponents outhit them.
San Diego ranks in the bottom half of the league at 16th when it comes to home runs, hitting 140 this season. Tampa Bay ranks in the top five with 159.
Tampa Bay and San Diego both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Tampa Bay sits at 15th with 8.08 hits per game and San Diego ranks 14th with 8.05.
Ranking 28th, San Diego is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.702). Tampa Bay ranks in the bottom half at 16th with an OPS of .737.
The Padres are 26-50 when they allow at least one home run. The Rays perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 26-62 record.
