The Seattle Mariners host the Tampa Bay Rays on August 8, 2025. First pitch from T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. EDT; the game will be broadcast on FDSSUN.
The Mariners are coming off a sweep against the Chicago White Sox and will take on the Rays in this weekend's series. Luis Castillo will take the ball for Seattle, and Drew Rasmussen will start for Tampa Bay.
Find my MLB betting preview and Rays vs Mariners prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
My Rays vs Mariners Prediction
- Rays vs Mariners pick: Drew Rasmussen Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-165)
My Rays vs Mariners best bet is on Drew Rasmussen to get under 5.5 strikeouts tonight. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Rays vs Mariners Odds
| Rays Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -206 | 7.5 -106o / -115u | +104 |
| Mariners Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +167 | 7.5 -106o / -115u | -126 |
Rays vs Mariners Projected Starting Pitchers
| RHP Drew Rasmussen (TB) | Stat | RHP Luis Castillo (SEA) |
|---|---|---|
| 9-5 | W-L | 8-6 |
| 2.3 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 2.3 |
| 2.81 / 3.46 | ERA / xERA | 3.22 / 4.21 |
| 3.40 / 3.44 | FIP / xFIP | 3.63 / 4.13 |
| 1.02 | WHIP | 1.21 |
| 16.5 | K-BB% | 14.2 |
| 51.2 | GB% | 41.0 |
| 112 | Stuff+ | 98 |
| 101 | Location+ | 104 |
Collin Whitchurch’s Rays vs Mariners Preview
The Rays are limiting Drew Rasmussen's workload as the season gets longer. He's a year removed from Tommy John and a very important part of their future. They're not letting him pitch deep into the games.
In his last start, he went over 15 outs and over 5.5 strikeouts. It was his first time in a long time doing so. And the reason he did was because he was at fewer than 70 pitches going into the sixth inning. That's not going to happen very often.
He ended up throwing 73 pitches and 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts. He threw 81 against the Yankees in his previous start, when he went five innings and struck out five. Before that, you have to go all the way back to June 19th for the last time he threw even 81 pitches in a game.
Rasmussen hasn't gotten more than 16 outs in a game since June 8th against Miami, and that's just going to get more severe as the season goes on.
The Rays are still kind of contending. They're four and a half games out of the Wild-Card race, but this isn't a team that's going to put all their eggs in the basket of trying to get the sixth seed in the American League at the expense of their long-term plans.
I think the Rays management will continue to treat him with kid gloves, and he's facing a Mariners team that is going to make him throw a lot of pitches early in the game.
Regarding Seattle, the one bit of concern I would have with their lineup tonight is that it wouldn't surprise me to see Josh Naylor out of it. He left yesterday's game with an injury.
Obviously, he has been a big boost to that lineup along with Eugenio Suarez at the trade deadline.
Rays vs Mariners Prediction, Betting Analysis
I fully expected to open up the sportsbooks today and see Rasmussen's line for pitching out sitting at 14.5. Of course, 15 is the key number there because that's five innings pitched.
There are two ways to fade Rasmussen tonight. If you can get 15.5 outs, that would be good. Also, you can get the under at 5.5 strikeouts.
I like both of those equally, whether combined or betting on one of them. I would love fading Rasmussen at those numbers.
Pick: Drew Rasmussen Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-165, Fanatics)
Rays vs Mariners Betting Trends
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