In this Brewers at Rays prediction, the Brewers and Rays kick off their three-game interleague series in Florida on Friday night. The Brewers are battling the Cubs for the top spot in the NL Central Division while the Rays try to stay afloat in a highly competitive AL East. The Brewers will hand the ball to veteran lefty Jose Quintana (4-1, 2.83) in game one, while the Rays will turn to righty Zack Littell (2-5, 4.61). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM EST. Read on for more in this Brewers/Rays prediction, and grab our top MLB predictions to increase your bankroll!
Milwaukee invades Florida
The Brewers fly into Florida after having their three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday by the Astros in a 9-1 loss in Milwaukee. The Brewers were held to just four hits in the game while striking out nine times. Starter Quinn Priester was solid, going five innings and allowing just three hits and one run. The Brewers’ bullpen didn’t fare nearly as well, allowing five hits and six earned runs over the final four innings. Offensively, catcher Eric Haase was the lone producer with a solo blast in the fifth inning.
The Brewers hope to get back to their winning ways and keep pace with the first-place Cubs as they arrive in Florida on Friday night. They will hand the ball to Jose Quintana in the first game. Quintana is 4-1 on the season with an ERA of 2.83 and a WHIP of 1.22. He has made five starts on the season and has two quality starts to his credit. Quintana has allowed 26 hits in 28.2 innings of work while walking nine and striking out 21 batters. He suffered his first loss of the season in his last start, a 6-2 loss to the Cubs at home. Quintana allowed seven hits and six runs in five innings of work. He walked one and struck out six batters while coughing up three home runs.
Key Injuries: SP Freddy Peralta, SP Brandon Woodruff, and CF Garrett Mitchell are out.
Rays looking for home cooking
The Tampa Bay Rays have had some upheaval this year, forced to play their home games in the Yankees’ Spring Training facility as a result of damage suffered to the roof at their usual home, Tropicana Field. The results have been bigger crowds but poor results, with the Rays winning just nine of their first 25 games at home. They are 0-2 on this current homestand heading into Thursday night’s series finale with the Phillies. The Rays fell handily on Wednesday night, 7-0, to the Phils. The Rays’ bats were silent, they were held to just two hits while striking out 12 times as a team. Starter Shane Baz couldn’t make it through the fourth inning, allowing eight hits and six runs in just 3.1 innings of work.
*This article was written before the completion of Thursday night’s game between the Phillies and Rays.
The Rays' home away from home hasn’t been friendly to them this season, but they’ll have a chance to turn that around this weekend as they host the Brewers. The Rays will start the series with righty Zack Littell on the mound. Littell is 2-5 on the season in seven starts, including four quality starts. He has allowed 37 hits in 41 innings of work while walking eight and striking out 25. Littell has been bitten by the long ball this season, allowing 10 home runs in his first seven starts. In his last outing, a 3-2 win over the Yankees in the Bronx, Littell went seven innings and allowed three hits and two runs. He didn’t walk anyone in the game and struck out three. The Rays are 2-3 in Littell’s last five starts.
Key Injuries: C Dominic Keegan, RF Josh Lowe, RP Hunter Bigge, and RP Jonathan Hernandez are out.
Best Bets for Milwaukee Brewers vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
The Rays have struggled against lefties this season, with a team .182 batting average against southpaws. As noted, they are also just 9-15 at home entering Thursday night’s game against the Phillies and are just 9-13 in night games. Quintana has been sharp for the Brewers this season, with wins in four of his last five starts. He is coming off a relatively rough outing in a loss to the Cubs, but still managed to go five innings in the outing. Littell pitched very well in his last outing, but the Rays are just 2-3 in his last five starts, and the righty has coughed up 10 home runs already this season. The Brewers will flex their power muscles on Friday night and pick up a big win in the series opener on Friday.
Take Milwaukee with the money line.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
If you are attending this game, make sure your seats are in the outfield bleachers. Littell has allowed 10 home runs this season, including two more in his last start. Quintana is coming off an outing in which he allowed three home runs to the Cubs. The Rays have allowed 20 runs in their last three games entering Thursday night’s series finale with the Phillies. The Brewers have piled up 30 runs in Quintana’s four wins this season.
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Take the over.
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