Cincinnati Reds vs. Tampa Bay Rays Prediction: Wander Franco, Rays Look to Dispatch Reds

Cincinnati Reds vs. Tampa Bay Rays Prediction: Wander Franco, Rays Look to Dispatch Reds

The Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cincinnati Reds will take place from Great American Ball Park on Friday Night. The Reds are fresh off a doubleheader split against the Pirates yesterday while the Rays had the day off. Tampa has been playing a good brand of baseball of late. The Rays have jumped up to second in the American League East and back into the playoffs via the Wild Card.

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Reds vs. Rays Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: July 8, 2022
• Game Time: 6:40 pm ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN+

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Reds vs. Rays Line Movement

Cincinnati Reds vs. Tampa Bay Rays Prediction

The Rays have been one of the best teams in baseball the last five years, and they typically do it with no stars, just guys who play their roles very well. They now do have one star, and that is Wander Franco. Franco inked the team's largest contract in history in the offseason, and for a good reason. He is a five-tool guy with a bright future that the team is committed to building around.

The pitching staff has been the strong suit for the Rays the last few seasons, and the man getting the ball tonight has been outstanding. Shane McClanahan has taken the league by storm and is the current favorite to win the Cy Young Award for the American League. The twenty-five-year-old southpaw enters play with an ERA of just 1.74 in 98.1 innings of work.

He will be opposed by the arm of Luis Castillio tonight. Castillo makes way of the Dominican Republic and has been one of the better starters in the majors the last few seasons. He has been up and down this season, but he is hot as of late, dropping his ERA all the way down to 3.09. This should be a fun pitcher's duel to watch tonight. 

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I am backing the Rays on the -1 line. I assume we will see a few regulars resting today for the Reds after they just played a day-night doubleheader, and this is a team that is paper-thin when it comes to depth. Shane McClanahan is simply un-fadable at the moment. He has been dynamite all season long and is far too locked in to not trust.

This is a limited Reds offense and could be one of his easiest assignments of the season. Luis Castillo has been very good as of late, but he is a guy who you can get out of the game early due to his lack of command. This is an experienced Tampa lineup that should be able to grind out at-bats and put together some runs against Castillo. This line has jumped as the Rays were a -150 favorite and are now up to -170. I think that the effects of the double header yesterday could be a factor tonight with some tired legs for the Reds. Let’s stay hot and cash in! 

Cincinnati Reds vs. Tampa Bay Rays Pick

Pick: Rays -1 @ -133 (Bet $133 to win $100)