The Tampa Bay Rays host the Detroit Tigers on Monday, June 1. First pitch from Tropicana Field is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on DSN and MLB.TV.
The Rays are favored by -160 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Tigers are +135 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 8 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Tigers vs Rays prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Detroit Tigers vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Picks
- Tigers vs Rays Pick: Pass (Small Lean to Detroit)
My Tigers vs Rays best bet is to pass. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Tigers vs Rays Odds, Betting Line, Over/Under
| Tigers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -156 | 8 -105o / -115u | +134 |
| Rays Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +130 | 8 -105o / -115u | -158 |
- Tigers vs Rays Moneyline: Tigers ML +134, Rays ML -158
- Tigers vs Rays Over/Under: 8
- Tigers vs Rays Run Line: Tigers +1.5 (-156), Rays -1.5 (+130)
Tigers vs Rays Projected Starting Pitchers
| RHP Ty Madden (DET) | Stat | RHP Griffin Jax (TBR) |
|---|---|---|
| 0-0 | W-L | 1-3 |
| 0.2 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.0 |
| 2.38/2.33 | ERA / xERA | 3.60/4.22 |
| 2.63/2.49 | FIP / xFIP | 4.51/4.14 |
| 23.3% | K-BB% | 9.4% |
| 55.2% | GB% | 50.6% |
| .214 | BABIP | .280 |
| 87 | Stuff+ | 106 |
| 97 | Location+ | 103 |
Tigers vs Rays MLB Preview
Detroit Tigers Betting Preview
Ty Madden has just nine major league appearances under his belt, with eight of them coming out of the bullpen. The 26-year-old has bounced back and forth between Triple-A and the injured list for most of this season, making just three appearances on the year.
Madden will make his first start of the year on Monday, likely only going 3-4 innings at most. He has a 2.38 ERA in his first three outings out of the bullpen.
He has good secondary pitches with a strong cutter and slider, and his indicators are very positive for the year; it is just a very small sample size and an unproven role for him.
The biggest reason for Detroit’s falloff this season has been its ineptitude on offense. The Tigers sit 29th in the league in scoring and have the worst team batting average and OPS.
They were especially dreadful over the last month, with only Riley Greene providing consistent offense.
Tampa Bay Rays Betting Preview
Griffin Jax is a bit of a late bloomer who was eventually turned into a dominant relief pitcher by the Twins before being traded to Tampa Bay last season. The Rays decided to try to turn him into a starter this season, and it has actually gone better than expected.
Jax has a 3.60 ERA on 17 appearances this season, but most of his struggles have actually come when working in his familiar role as a reliever. Jax has made 11 appearances out of the bullpen for an 8.00 ERA, but he has posted a 1.71 ERA in his six starts.
Offensively, Tampa Bay plays a very unique style of manufacturing runs. They are top 10 in scoring, yet near the bottom of the league in home runs. The Rats strike out fewer than any team in the league, and excel at putting the ball in play and aggressive baserunning.
Tigers vs Rays MLB Pick to Bet
Tampa Bay has the best record in the American League at 36-20, while Detroit sits all the way at the bottom of the standings.
The Tigers have been terrible, and their offense is abysmal right now. On top of that, the Rays have been dominant at home with a 21-6 record at the Trop this season. If you ask me who I think will win this game, the answer is obviously Tampa Bay.
However, laying around -160 feels a little too rich in this spot.
While Jax has been strong as a starter recently, it is still a new role for him, and the sample size is very small. Even if he pitches well, he likely goes only 4-5 innings at most. Tampa Bay sits just 23rd in reliever ERA this season.
Madden likely only tosses a few innings as well, and he is similar to Jax in that his indicators are very strong so far, but it is a very small sample size for him and an unproven role as a major league starter.
Obviously, the Rays have a significant edge on offense. But with two converted relievers not likely to pitch deep into this game, I never like making a bet on a game that will be decided by the bullpens. Too much weird stuff happens late in baseball games.
If you are very inclined to bet this game, I would lean toward taking Detroit as the underdog and hope the chaos breaks in your favor, but it’s a stay away for me.
Pick: Pass (Small Lean to Detroit)
