Phillies vs Rays Odds - Champs will get back on track
The Phillies vs Rays odds feature an important World Series rematch for one struggling team and one surging team. Just when MLB betting fans thought it was safe to push their chips toward the Phillies, the defending World Series champs are tanking, having lost six straight games through Sunday. It’s quickly becoming apparent that Philly needs another arm to remain atop the NL East; their bats will have to carry them against the Rays this week.
Phillies vs Rays odds: Phillies hope to end losing streak
- Phillies’ bats will feast on wild Price
- Matt Garza is a big-game pitcher
- Andy Sonnanstine is a lost cause
Tuesday, June 23, 7:08 p.m. ET
Jamie Moyer (4-6, 6.35) vs David Price (1-1, 3.46)
As we tune into the Phillies vs Rays odds, we have to ask – has Father Time finally caught up with 46-year-old Jamie Moyer? Yes and no. He’s allowing homers like crazy, forcing those who bet on sports to go over the total whenever he pitches, but most of his problems have come at home. His road ERA isn’t great (5.40), but it’s still a far cry from his nightmarish home split (7.15). His last start in Tampa came in the 2008 World Series, during which he kept the ball in the park and held Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria hitless.
Moyer should hang tough, but he has a talented counterpart in David Price. The rookie is mowing down opponents with 31 strikeouts in 26 innings. However, there’s potential for a big offshore sportsbook upset here. The Phillies are a patient, powerful lineup and Price has an atrocious 18 walks in those 26 innings. He could make some mistakes with his erratic control and the Phillies will punish him.
MLB betting pick: Phillies
Wednesday, June 24, 7:08 p.m. ET
Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.28) vs Matt Garza (4-5, 3.83)
The good news for Philly: Joe Blanton is better away from Citizen’s Bank Park this season. The bad: he has a horrible track record at Tampa’s Tropicana Field, with a 7.64 ERA and .364 opponents’ average in four starts there. He’ll swallow hard whenever Pena comes to the plate; the big Rays first baseman hits .571 off Blanton in his career.
Matt Garza isn’t perfect but he always steps up against the league’s best competition, with his best starts by far this season coming against the Red Sox and Yankees. The Phillies vs Rays odds thus have to tip in Tampa’s favor with Garza on the hill (though he may get touched up a bit, as he allowed three homers in a World Series start against Philly last season).
MLB betting pick: Rays
Thursday June 25, 7:08 p.m. ET
Antonio Bastardo (2-2, 5.21) vs Andy Sonnanstine (5-7, 6.60)
Is it inappropriate to say that Antonio Bastardo looks like the, er, bastard child of himself of late? The luster has quickly worn off for the upstart rookie, as he’s seen his ERA more than double over his last two outings. However, the Phillies vs Rays odds put him on the road, and that’s just what he needs to rebound. Away from hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park, he’s 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA.
Andy Sonnanstine, on the other hand, looks hopeless right now. He’s allowed one or more homers in eight straight starts for a yucky total of 14. He’s a better pitcher at home but I doubt he can handle the Philly bats Thursday; they rocked him for four runs in five innings in his lone World Series start last year – with Ryan Howard leading the charge.
MLB betting pick: Phillies
For more Phillies vs Rays odds and help picking sports betting lines, visit the Betting Edge at BetOnline.com.
Before his arm flamed out, Dale “Skip” Lalonde was famous for his high-90s heat and power at the plate. He retired young but never turned his back on baseball, earning the nickname “Skip” for his high-school coaching prowess. A true student of the game, he loves crunching the numbers when he handicaps baseball. Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
