In the first of a three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (31-27) and the Los Angeles Angels (31-27) at Tropicana Field, Nathan Karns (3-2, 3.63 ERA) and Matt Shoemaker (3-4, 5.08 ERA) get the start. The Angels go into this series looking to snap a five-game losing streak. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jun. 9 and will air on FSN-W and SunSports.
In his last start, Karns pitched 5.0 innings, allowing four runs, striking out three and walking three in a 6-5 loss to the Angels. Logan Forsythe (.276, 25 Rs, 7 HRs, 26 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 4 Sunday with one RBI. In his pitching opportunities against the Rays, Shoemaker is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA. He gets a less-than-stellar Tampa Bay offense that’s batting just .239. Albert Pujols (.258, 29 Rs, 15 HRs, 29 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 4 Sunday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Tampa Bay is a small -115 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. When playing as the favorite, the Rays have a 14-12 record and overall money line at +289. They have SU record of 7-3 and are unbeaten as the favorite (2-0) over their last 10 games. Tampa Bay’s pitching staff can be considered for best in its league, with an AL-low 3.22 team ERA. The Rays don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking third in the league with a 1.17 WHIP. An area where the Rays are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average an AL-best 9.3 K’s per home game.
Across the field, the Angels have a record of 11-13 when they are the underdog and are -424 overall with the money line. During the last 10 games, they averaged 5.0 runs per game, above their 4.0 season average. The Angels are one of the top pitching staffs in the AL, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 4.0 runs allowed per game. They also average just 8.0 hits allowed per game, third-best in the AL.
The Rays are 2-1 against the Angels this season. The Rays will take on a right-hander (Shoemaker) in this game and have a 20-19 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Angels will be the right-hander Karns. They sport a 20-24 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Los Angeles is 14-12, while Tampa Bay is 10-10.
The Rays are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Angels have a 2-2 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Angels are 6-20. The Rays have a 6-18 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 13th in home runs, Tampa Bay has hit 54 this season. Los Angeles ranks ninth with 60 home runs.
Tampa Bay and Los Angeles both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Tampa Bay sits at 13th with 7.95 hits per game and Los Angeles ranks 15th with 7.81.
Tampa Bay and Los Angeles both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Tampa Bay sits at 22nd with an OPS of .686 and Los Angeles ranks 26th with an OPS of .680.
The Angels are 12-25 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Rays are 13-19 when they allow at least one homer.
