The Tampa Bay Rays (21-18) and the Atlanta Braves (18-19) will head into their interleague showdown with momentum on their sides after recording victories in their respective series finales. The Rays recorded their fourth win in six games with a rout of the Minnesota Twins while the Braves stamped their class against the Miami Marlins, recording an impressive three-game sweep.
Who will grab the upper hand in this intriguing matchup? Read on below for a breakdown of this much-anticipated game and while you’re at it you can check out our MLB previews of Angels vs. Blue Jays and Yankees vs. Nationals.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Tampa Bay Rays vs. Atlanta Braves Preview
Where: Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia
When: Tuesday, May 19, 7:10 PM ET
Line: Tampa Bay Rays (EVEN) at Atlanta Braves (-110); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins, recording an emphatic 11-3 win on Sunday. The Tampa Bay offense finally came alive in the series finale, amassing a whopping 19 hits against the Twins.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Evan Longoria and James Loney starred for the Rays, recording three RBIs apiece. Catcher Bobby Wilson also had an excellent performance on the offensive end, scoring three runs for Tampa Bay. The Rays will need to get their bats going as well in the series opener against Atlanta as scheduled starter Erasmo Ramirez (1-1, 6.66 ERA) has had difficulty with the Braves in the past.
He was shelled in his lone career start against Atlanta on June 3 at Turner Field for the Mariners, allowing five runs and eight hits in just three innings of action. Ramirez, however, has done well in his past two starts, allowing just one earned run in a combined nine innings. The Rays won both of those games against the Yankees (6-1) and the Blue Jays (4-2). He was superb in his last start against the Yankees on May 14, allowing just one hit in five scoreless innings.
Expected to lead the Rays offense tonight is the red-hot Loney. He is scorching at the plate right now, going 9-for-22 with four RBIs in his last six games. Joey Butler has been a solid contributor for the Rays as well, going 6-for-12 with two RBIs and a walk in his last five outings.
The Rays are 5-5 in their last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves extended their winning streak to three games with a resounding 6-0 victory Sunday over the Miami Marlins. Shelby Miller was the star of the show for the Braves, throwing a two-hit complete game shutout. Miller was on the cusp of history in that game as he lost a no-hit bid with one out to go in the ninth inning.
Starting pitching has been the main reason behind Atlanta’s sudden resurgence. Julio Teheran opened the series by allowing just one run in 5.2 innings of action and Alex Wood followed Saturday by conceding just one run in seven innings of work. The Braves are eighth in the majors in starting pitching ERA, posting a 3.86 average this season.
The onus now is on Mike Foltynewicz (2-0, 4.24 ERA) to sustain the excellent form of the Atlanta rotation. The 23-year-old recorded his longest outing of the season thus far last Tuesday, holding Cincinnati to three runs – two earned – and six hits while striking out seven in 6.2 innings of work. That was a vast improvement from his previous two starts where he allowed a total of six earned runs in 10.1 innings of action.
Unfortunately for Foltynewicz, the Braves were unable to provide some run support as the Reds eked out a 4-3 victory. This current Atlanta team, however, is sizzling at the plate right now, scoring a combined 16 runs in their three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins.
Expected to shoulder the offensive load for Atlanta tonight is Freddie Freeman. Even though he went just 3 for 14 against the Marlins in the past series, he is still hitting .388 in his last 20 games. Another player who’s also on fire right now is recent addition Todd Cunnningham. He went 8-for-12 with four runs in the three-game sweep of Miami.
Atlanta is 4-2 in its last six home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Atlanta (-110) wins, 5-3.
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