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A pair of the league’s best hitters face off when the Tampa Bay Rays (25-6) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (20-11) meet at 1:10 PM ET on Thursday at Tropicana Field. Randy Arozarena has a .325 batting average (ninth in MLB) for the favored Rays (-190), while Bryan Reynolds ranks seventh in MLB play batting .327 this season for the underdog Pirates (+161). Zach Eflin starts for Tampa Bay, and Vince Velasquez is Pittsburgh’s choice to start.
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Game Info, Betting Lines for Rays vs. Pirates
- Game Day: Thursday, May 4, 2023
- Game Time: 1:10 PM ET
- Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
- Stadium: Tropicana Field
| Favorite | Favorite Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Rays | -190 | 8.5 |
How Do I Watch the Rays vs. the Pirates?
- TV Channel: BSSUN
Rays Stats & Trends
Rays Batting
- The Tampa Bay Rays have hit a league-leading 64 home runs, averaging 2.1 per game.
- Tampa Bay has an MLB-leading .280 batting average.
- The Tampa Bay Rays lead the league with a .351 on-base percentage.
- Tampa Bay’s 8.6 strikeouts per game rank 15th in MLB.
- The Rays have hit 32 home runs at home this season (1.8 per game).
- Tampa Bay is slugging .503 with 4.0 extra-base hits per game at home.
- The team averages 8.6 hits per game and is batting .266 at home this season.
Rays Key Batters
- Wander Franco has 12 doubles, six home runs and 11 walks while hitting .305. He has an on-base percentage of .374 and a slugging percentage of .559.
- Among qualified hitters in MLB, his batting average ranks 21st, his on-base percentage ranks 35th, and he is 17th in slugging.
- Franco will look for his fourth straight game with a hit in this contest. In his last five games he is hitting .318 with two home runs, two walks and six RBI.
- Arozarena leads Tampa Bay in slugging percentage (.570) and total hits (37) this season. He’s batting .325 with an on-base percentage of .388.
- His batting average is ninth among qualified players, his on-base percentage 24th, and his slugging percentage 14th.
- Arozarena takes a four-game streak with at least one hit into this one. In his last five games he is hitting .261 with a double, two home runs, a walk and four RBI.
- Yandy Diaz leads Tampa Bay with 32 hits and an OBP of .430 this season.
- Josh Lowe has six home runs, 19 RBI and a batting average of .338 this season.
Pirates Stats & Trends
Pirates Batting
- The Pirates rank 13th in Major League Baseball with 35 home runs.
- Pittsburgh’s .259 batting average is among the best in baseball, ranking eighth in MLB.
- The Pirates are among the best in the league at getting on base, ranking fifth with an OBP of .339.
- Pittsburgh is one of the best teams in baseball at making contact this season, ranking eighth with an average of 8.0 strikeouts per game.
- They’ve hit 23 homers, an average of 1.3 per game, in 18 road contests this season.
- Pittsburgh has a team slugging percentage of .457 in away games this season with 70 extra-base hits.
- In 18 road games this season, they have a batting average of .263 while averaging 9.2 base hits per contest.
Pirates Key Batters
- Reynolds has put up a slugging percentage of .582, a team-best for the Pirates. He’s batting .327 with an on-base percentage of .368.
- Including all the qualified hitters in MLB, his batting average is seventh, his on-base percentage ranks 50th, and he is 11th in slugging.
- Reynolds hopes to build on an eight-game hitting streak in this matchup. During his last 10 games he is batting .382 with eight doubles, six walks and six RBI.
- Andrew McCutchen is hitting .247 with five doubles, six home runs and 17 walks. He’s slugging .485 with an on-base percentage of .356.
- He ranks 100th in batting average, 62nd in on-base percentage and 51st in slugging percentage in MLB.
- Carlos Santana has nine doubles, two home runs and 14 walks while batting .269.
- Connor Joe paces his team with 26 hits and a .386 OBP.
Rays vs. Pirates Probable Pitchers
| Zach Eflin (TB) | Pitcher | Vince Velásquez (PIT) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 – 0 | W/L | 4 – 2 |
| 21 | IP | 32.1 |
| 3.00 | ERA | 3.06 |
| 1.143 | WHIP | 1.175 |
| 9.0 | K/9 | 8.9 |
| 1.3 | BB/9 | 3.3 |
Rays vs. Pirates Injury Updates
- Rays: Pete Fairbanks: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Tyler Glasnow: 15 Day IL (Oblique), Jeffrey Springs: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Shane Baz: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Shawn Armstrong: 60 Day IL (Neck), Andrew Kittredge: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Josh Fleming: day-to-day (Foot)
- Pirates: Rob Zastryzny: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Chase De Jong: 15 Day IL (Knee), Wil Crowe: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Oneil Cruz: 60 Day IL (Ankle), Ji-Man Choi: 60 Day IL (Achilles), Jarlin García: 60 Day IL (Arm), Max Kranick: 60 Day IL (Elbow), JT Brubaker: 60 Day IL (Elbow)
