Chris Archer (10-8, 2.54 ERA) starts for the Tampa Bay Rays (55-56) as they square off against Bartolo Colon (10-10, 4.72 ERA) and the New York Mets (59-51) in the last of a three-game series at Tropicana Field. The Rays won the last game 5-4 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 9 and can be seen on SUN and SNY.
Archer pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering two runs, striking out seven and walking one in an 11-3 win over the White Sox. Logan Forsythe (.277, 45 Rs, 13 HRs, 50 RBIs, 7 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Colon went 8.0 innings, surrendering one run and striking out five in a 12-1 win over the Marlins in his most recent start. Lucas Duda (.249, 57 Rs, 21 HRs, 55 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Mets, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two RBIs.
Tampa Bay is a -158 favorite against New York and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at six runs. The Rays have an overall money line of -442 and a record as the favorite of 26-24. Against the NL, they have a 3-4 record when they were the favorite and 7-6 SU. The Rays have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.6 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.7 runs per game. As for the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Rays, who have a team ERA of only 3.59. The Rays are the top team in the AL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 7.9 hits per game so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Rays, who lead the AL in strikeouts per home game with 8.8.
As for their opponent, in contrast to an encouraging overall money line (+860), New York has an unimpressive 14-35 record when playing as the underdog. New York has put in a mixed performance against teams in the AL, coming in with a nice record SU ({betdsi.at.al.su_record}) but quite a few losses as the underdog (1-4). Offensively, the Mets have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.7 runs per game by averaging 5.3 during that stretch. New York’s pitching staff is one of the top in the NL, with a 3.27 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Mets are the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.16 for the season.
The Rays have a 34-44 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Colon takes the mound. Archer (RHP) will be on the hill against the Mets, who have a 48-40 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
After last game’s shutout win against the New York, the Rays now have nine shutouts this season. The Mets have been shut out in 11 games this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Rays are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Mets have a 9-1 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
The Mets are coming into the game with seven consecutive wins, while the Rays currently have a losing streak of two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 38-15. The Mets have a 41-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling near the bottom of the league based on total runs this season, Tampa Bay ranks 26th with 407 runs and New York is 28th with 402.
Tampa Bay and New York both rank in the bottom half of the league in walks. Tampa Bay sits at 16th with 300 this season and New York ranks 18th with 299.
When the Rays hit at least one home run, they are 38-30. When the Mets hit at least one homer, they have a 37-18 record.
