The Los Angeles Dodgers will be looking to continue their dominating play at Dodger Stadium after an exciting series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays led by Shohei Ohtani's walk-off grand slam. Ohtani's home run made him the first Dodger player to join the 40-40 club, the fastest player in MLB history to reach that milestone, and improved the Dodgers' home record to 42-21 this season.
Saturday's matchup will be an intriguing starting pitcher matchup with Taj Bradley looking to go head-to-head with Clayton Kershaw, who has allowed just two runs in his past three starts. First pitch is scheduled for 9:10 PM ET. Read on for our predictions for Saturday's Rays vs. Dodgers matchup.
Rays vs Dodgers Predictions
Rays vs Dodgers prediction: 7.5+ points
My prediction for the Rays vs Dodgers game is that if the score is over 7.5 runs, I think a line of -110 is worth it. The best lines are available at DraftKings and other sportsbooks. Check out our live MLB odds page to find the best odds.
Rays vs Dodgers odds
Saturday, August 24
9:10pm ET
BSSU
Raise Odds Spread Total Money Line
+1.5
-115
7.5
-110o / -110u
+185
Dodgers Odds Spread Total Money Line
-1.5
-105
7.5
-110o / -110u
-225
Rays vs Dodgers run line: -1.5 (Rays -115, Dodgers -105)Rays vs Dodgers total: 7.5 runs over/underRays vs Dodgers money line: Dodgers -225 | Rays +185
Rays vs Dodgers predicted starting pitchers
RHP Taj Bradley (TBR) StatsLHP Clayton Kershaw (LAD) 6-8W-L2-21.3fWAR (FanGraphs) 0.73.55/3.99ERA /xERA 2.63/3.643.97/3.64FIP / xFIP 3.00/3.97 1.15WHIP 1.25 18.7%K-BB 12.9% 42.5%GB 43.2% 115 What +10297 Where +100For more previews of today's games, check out our MLB Betting Hub.
Nick Martin's Rays vs Dodgers preview
Tampa Bay Rays betting predictions: Sell Taj Bradley for a high price
Bradley was able to bounce back somewhat from a disastrous three-game losing streak with a quality start at Oakland on Monday, but his ERA remains at 4.91 since the All-Star break. That may seem a bit worrying considering Bradley collapsed to a 7.11 ERA over his final 13 games last season, but that sort of dip shouldn't be expected based on his underlying performance.
Bradley's recent velocity is on par with what he's been seeing the rest of the season, but his xFIP has risen to 4.20 over his final 33 innings, his strikeout rate is down significantly from his season average of 21%, and his WHIP over his last six starts is 1.24.
Bradley has allowed an average exit velocity of 91.1 mph this season, fifth-highest among qualified starters. He is allowing a hard-hit rate of 45% going into the 2022 season. His strikeout rate on the road this season has worsened significantly (18.3%), as has his xFIP (4.57), and his road slugging percentage is .445.
The Rays have been remarkably effective against left-handed pitching this season, and that trend has continued recently. The Rays rank in the top three league-wide in wRC+ against left-handed pitching this season with a 110, and since July 1 they rank seventh with a 116 wRC+ against left-handed pitching.
Los Angeles Dodgers betting predictions: Lineup finally healthy
Though the starting rotation is still missing several key pitchers, the Dodgers finally have the luxury of a fully healthy lineup, which has helped fuel their five-game winning streak. Over the past two weeks, the Dodgers have posted a wRC+ of 118, lowered their strikeout rate to 19.9% and their hard-hit rate to 40.6%.
Since the All-Star break, the Dodgers have a wRC+ of 114 and an OPS of .769 against right-handed pitchers.
Kershaw has slightly exceeded his xERA in each of the past two seasons and has only pitched with an ERA higher than his xERA once since 2015. While numbers can be hard to pin down for the legendary lefty, that remains true in 2024, where he is projected to exceed his xERA by more than a run.
Rays vs Dodgers predictions, betting analysis: bet on the over
Bradley will have a tougher time coming out of a much weaker slump against the league's best offensive line. The Dodgers have rarely had all of their top hitters in the lineup this season, but they've done so recently and it's paid off.
Kershaw has pitched well over the last few games and has consistently outperformed his projected ERA, but his extremely slow velocity makes it unlikely he can maintain a sub-3.00 ERA.
The Rays have been one of the best teams in the league against left-handed pitching recently, and throughout this season, so that total seems a bit low given the damage they can do from Kershaw.
At odds of -110, I think it’s worth betting on this match to exceed a minimum total of 7.5 on a day with somewhat favorable weather conditions.
Rays vs Dodgers prediction: 7.5 or higher
History of the Money Line
RaysDodgersOverall64-6477-52Home34-3442-21Away30-3034-30Favorites32-3071-40Underdogs30-325-10
Run Line (Spread) History
RaysDodgersOverall67-6164-63Home35-3334-29Away32-2830-34Favorites29-3358-53Underdogs36-266-9
Totals (Over/Under) History
RaysDodgersOverall58-67-366-58-3Home31-34-336-25-2Away27-3330-33-1Favorite27-34-160-48-3Underdog28-32-26-9
Rays vs Dodgers betting trends
98% of the bets and 83% of the money are on the Dodgers covering the run line. 94% of the bets and 92% of the money are on the Dodgers winning on the money line. 97% of the bets and 96% of the money are on the over.
Raise betting trends:
Rays are 2-3 in their last 5 gamesRays are 1-4 against the spread in their last 5 gamesRays are 32-28 against the spread in road gamesThe total has been over-raised in 1 of the Rays' last 5 gamesThe total has been over-raised in 31 of the last 68 home games
Dodgers betting trends:
The Dodgers are 5-0 in their last 5 games. The Dodgers are 4-1 against the spread in their last 5 games. The Dodgers are 30-34 against the spread in road games. The total has been over in 2 of the Dodgers' last 5 games. The total has been over in 36 of the Dodgers' last 63 home games.
Rays vs Dodgers Weather
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About the Author
Nick Martin is a writer for The Action Network's NHL and MLB division and co-host of Action's Line Change hockey podcast. Prior to becoming a full-time writer and handicapper, he earned numerous certifications in personal and group training and worked full-time in the fitness and recreation field.
Follow Nicholas Martin @nickm_hockey on Twitter/X.
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