Tampa Bay Rays (66-67) vs San Diego Padres (76-60)
Game Info: Friday, August 30, 2024 at 6:50 pm (Tropicana Field)
Taj Bradley (6-8) (3.77) vs Martin Perez (3-5) (4.51)
Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Rays -137 / San Diego Padres +116 --- Over/Under: 7.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: Apple TV+ Stream the MLB Game of the Day all season on ESPN+. Sign up now! 
The San Diego Padres and the Tampa Bay Rays meet Friday in MLB action from Tropicana Field. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a San Diego Padres vs. Tampa Bay Rays prediction.
Starting Pitching Matchup
The San Diego Padres will start Martin Perez here and Perez is 3-5 with a 4.60 ERA and 87 strikeouts this season. In his last five starts against the Rays, Perez is 2-2 with a 6.93 ERA and 19 strikeouts. Taj Bradley will get the start for the Rays here and is 6-8 with a 3.77 ERA and 119 strikeouts this season. This will be Bradley’s first career start against the Padres.
San Diego Padres Recap
The San Diego Padres come into this one looking to bounce back after settling for a series split with the St. Louis Cardinals thanks to a 4-1 loss in Thursday’s series finale. The loss gave the Padres back-to-back series splits after a four-game split with the Mets last weekend.
Padres Gearing Up For Playoff Push
Jurickson Profar has 135 hits along with a .282 batting average and 24 doubles with 21 homers and 80 RBIs. Jake Cronenworth has 75 RBIs while Fernando Tatis Jr. has belted 14 home runs, 86 hits, 71 strikeouts and 8 stolen bases as well this season, but is out of the lineup because of injury. Manny Machado has 22 home runs and 79 RBIs but also has 100 strikeouts while Ha-Seong Kim has 94 hits with 3 triples, 16 doubles, 11 home runs, 47 RBIs and a team-high 22 stolen bases.
Why the San Diego Padres will win
- The Padres have won each of their last six night games following a road loss.
- The Rays have lost five of their last seven games as home favorites following a road loss.
- The underdogs have covered the run line in each of the Rays' last five games at Tropicana Field.
- The Rays have failed to cover the run line in five of their last six games as favorites.
Tampa Bay Rays Recap
The Tampa Bay Rays come into this series looking to bounce back from their series loss at the hands of the Mariners thanks to a 6-2 loss in Wednesday’s rubber match. The series loss made it back-to-back losses after falling short against the Dodgers last weekend.
Rays Trying To Make Last Effort For Playoff Spot
Yandy Diaz has 134 hits with 26 doubles while Jose Caballero has a team-high 37 stolen bases. Richie Palacios also has 19 stolen bases while Jose Siri has 17 home runs, 43 RBIs and a team-high 143 strikeouts. Brandon Lowe also has chipped in 16 home runs, 48 RBIs and a pair of triples as well this season.
Why the Tampa Bay Rays will win
- The Rays have won each of their last eight home games against National League opponents following a loss.
- The Padres have lost each of their last seven games at Tropicana Field.
- The Rays have covered the run line in each of their last eight home games against National League opponents following a loss.
- The Padres have failed to cover the run line in each of their last five night games against the Rays following a loss.
Padres vs. Rays Prediction
I’m on the Padres here. I just still don’t trust the offensive production to come from the Tampa Bay Rays as this lineup has struggled to plate runs in a lot of their recent games. The Padres have had a couple of hiccups here and there, but realistically they’ve been one of the best teams in baseball in the second half and I trust them to get to Bradley who has been brutal over the last month or so. Give me the Padres here.
Chris’s Pick San Diego +116
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
Mitch's Take...
