It seemed like just a little while ago that the sports betting world had written off the Tampa Bay Rays as the team had fallen further off the pace in the AL East and into a second-place battle with the Boston Red Sox. But while some people have been focusing on NFL betting, the Rays have been on a streak that has put them right back on top in the AL East with the Yankees looking up.
In their last 10 games the Rays have won nine, and that includes a current three-game winning streak. They have climbed from being several games down to the Yankees in the standings to being a game up in the AL East. The Yankees recent three-game losing streak is not helping their cause, but the Rays have figured out how to capitalize on the Yankees’ misfortunes.
The battle for the AL Central pennant is as fierce as NCAA football betting in January. The Minnesota Twins are trailing the Chicago White Sox by a game and a half. Both the Twins and the White Sox are playing great baseball. The White Sox have won seven of their last 10, and the Twins have won eight of their last 10 games. Neither team is giving any ground, and this pennant battle looks to rage on right to the end of the season.
Every game is important to both of these teams, and the MLB betting world is watching a classic battle in both divisions to see who can take the pennants. In this critical game, the Twins are sending Kevin Slowey to the mound. Slowey has a respectable 10-5 record but a slightly inflated 4.44 ERA. He is one of the pitchers on the Twins’ starting rotation that has benefited from their active bats. In his last start Slowey pitched eight shut-out innings and gave up only three hits. If he can remain consistent, he can be a great asset to the Twins in the playoffs.
The Rays are putting Wade Davis on the mound for this game, and Davis has managed to turn around what could have been a disastrous season. His current record is 9-9, but he needed a recent run of 4-0 to get his record to .500. Davis’ 4.41 ERA is down significantly from earlier in the season, and he is definitely showing signs of a pitcher ready to compete in the playoffs.
The Rays are on an unbelievable roll lately, and the White Sox are still having problems winning on the road. The Sox have a 27-26 road record, and that may be a problem for them as the playoffs approach.
With the Yankees faltering down the stretch, and as big-name Yankee pitchers like Paul Hughes continue to struggle, the Rays need to keep the pressure on and keep winning. While the White Sox pose a significant threat to the Rays, they are not enough to stop the Rays’ current winning streak.
BSN Sports Pick: Tampa Bay Rays 5-2
