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The Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays square off on Tuesday with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. A pair of aces will be on the mound tonight as the Marlins’ Pablo Lopez will go up against the Rays’ Shane McClanahan.
The Marlins (18-22) snapped a three-game losing skid with a win Sunday over the Braves. Unfortunately, Miami’s best offensive player, Jazz Chisholm Jr., exited that game early with left hamstring tightness. He’s considered day to day for now. Jorge Soler is on a nine-game hitting streak and has homered five times in his last 11 games. Lopez owns an NL-best 1.57 ERA, although he did struggle in his previous start (3 IP, 3 earned runs, 3 walks versus Washington).
The Rays (24-17) are coming off of a surprising series loss to the Orioles. However, they have won 15 of their previous 17 games against the Marlins, dating back to 2018. Star shortstop Wander Franco is being bothered by multiple nagging leg injuries while grinding through a 2-for-35 slump. Randy Arozarena is picking up some of the slack; he is 8-for-16 with a 1.475 OPS in his past four games. McClanahan is second in the Majors in strikeouts (65) and has the best strikeout-minus-walk rate among qualified pitchers in baseball (31.1 percent).
Marlins vs. Rays
Pitchers: Pablo Lopez vs. Shane McClanahan
First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET
Marlins local broadcast: Bally Sports Florida
Rays local broadcast: Bally Sports Sun
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run line: MIA +1.5 (-180), TB -1.5 (+155)
Run total: Over 6.5 (-105), Under 6.5 (-115)
Moneyline odds: TB -150, MIA +130
Moneyline pick: TB -150
In what should be a low-scoring game, go with the more overpowering starter. That’s McClanahan, who would get my vote for AL Cy Young right now.
Player prop pick: Jorge Soler UNDER 0.5 hits (+120)
It’s probably best to bet against both offenses tonight. Here’s betting that Soler’s modest hitting streak ends tonight. He’s already strikeout-prone anyway, so facing a K-centric pitcher such as McClanahan is not a good matchup for him.
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