Mariners vs Rays Odds, Picks, and Probable Pitchers (August 4)
- The Mariners and Rays wrap up a four-game set on Wednesday afternoon
- Seattle will give the ball to Logan Gilbert, while Tampa sends southpaw Josh Fleming to the mound
- Get the odds, analysis, and prediction, below
The Seattle Mariners (58-50, 25-27 away) visit the Tampa Bay Rays (64-44, 34-22 home) for the series finale of a four-game set on Wednesday afternoon at Tropicana Field. First pitch is set for 1:10 pm ET. Rookie Logan Gilbert will get the start for the visitors as he looks to bounce back from a rough outing. Tampa, meanwhile, sends Josh Fleming to the mound.
The M’s received a great showing from Yusei Kikuchi on Tuesday as they cruised to a 4-2 win. Recently acquired Abraham Toro led the charge offensively, going 2 for 4 with a home run.
Mariners vs Rays Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Mariners | +135 | +1.5 (-150) | Ov 8 (-110) |
| Tampa Bay Rays | -155 | -1.5 (+130) | Un 8 (-110) |
Odds as of August 3rd at DraftKings.
The Rays head into Wednesday’s game as a -155 favorite.
Probable Pitchers
Gilbert makes his 13th start in the finale of this series after getting called up to the major leagues in mid-May. While the 24-year-old’s big league career didn’t start off great, he’s slowly improved. Gilbert is currently 5-2 with a 4.04 ERA in 62.1 innings pitched, striking out 73 hitters in the process. His control has been extremely impressive, giving up just 13 free passes.
Logan Gilbert gets things started early, striking out the side in order in the 1st 🔥@Mariners | @logangilbert22 pic.twitter.com/N5d5cnSD9m
— ROOT SPORTS™ | NW (@ROOTSPORTS_NW) July 31, 2021
However, the rookie is coming off a rather dismal performance on July 30th against the Texas Rangers, surrendering four earned across 5.2 innings of work. The righty also allowed two home runs to an atrocious Rangers offense. Gilbert has an idea of what this Tampa lineup brings to the table, having faced them in June. It wasn’t the best outing though as he was also touched up for four runs. However, Gilbert has pitched better on the road, going 4-0 with a 3.14 ERA.
Gilbert vs Fleming
| 5-2 | Record | 8-5 |
| 4.04 | ERA | 4.15 |
| 62.1 | Innings Pitched | 82.1 |
| 73 | SO | 51 |
| 13 | BB | 20 |
Fleming has been more of a spot-starter for the Rays this season, also making appearances out of the pen. However, he’s been used in the rotation quite frequently as of late, putting together a strong performance last week against a potent Red Sox club. The 25-year-old tossed five innings, allowing only three runs while striking out seven. He also had lots of run support, with Tampa scoring six times within the first four innings.
Josh Fleming had a career-high 7 strikeouts in his 5 inning performance! @RaysBaseball postgame on Bally Sports Sun! #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/Ph1maZktoA
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) July 31, 2021
Seattle did touch Fleming up the last time they saw him, though. On June 19th, the M’s managed to score five runs off the left-hander at T-Mobile Park. That was Fleming’s only appearance against the Mariners though and he does pitch a lot better at home, boasting a career 2.63 ERA.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Rays Hitters | Batting Average vs Gilbert | Mariners Hitters | Batting Average vs Fleming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Arozarena | .000 | Jake Bauers | .333 |
| Ji-Man Choi | .000 | J.P. Crawford | .250 |
| Yandy Diaz | .000 | Jake Fraley | .000 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | .000 | Ty France | .500 |
| Manuel Margot | .333 | Mitch Haniger | .000 |
| Austin Meadows | .333 | Dylan Moore | .500 |
| Joey Wendle | .1000 | Tom Murphy | .333 |
| Mike Zunino | .1000 | Kyle Seager | .667 |
While the Mariners are over seven games out in AL West and three behind in the Wild Card race, they’ve played a lot better in 2021. Seattle is actually on track to finish above .500 for the first time since 2018 if the team can continue to win ballgames.
Abraham and Jarred just sent two baseballs a combined 849 feet 😍 pic.twitter.com/MHD0QmAvdZ
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 4, 2021
Scott Servais’ squad has really struggled with the bats though, sitting dead last in the MLB in average and hits. But, the M’s have improved since the All-Star Break, upping their batting average from .222 to .249. The long ball has been their main source of offense, clubbing 124 this season, which ranks 12th.
The Rays are currently a game ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East thanks to their consistency on both sides of the ball. They score five runs per game, which is top five in the bigs while also relying heavily on the home run. Their pitching staff has an impressive 3.56 ERA, despite missing ace Tyler Glasnow.
The Rays added Nelson Cruz, so @dgravy32 and John Farrell talked about it on Inside Baseball! pic.twitter.com/0ZvSnYVYsK
— Stadium (@Stadium) July 27, 2021
The addition of Nelson Cruz was huge for Tampa, giving them another power threat alongside the likes of Randy Arozarena, Austin Meadows, and Brandon Lowe. The Rays run the bases and swing it well, play sound defense, and are consistent on the mound. This team has everything and with the playoff race heating up, they must win ballgames in their own backyard.
Mariners vs Rays Prediction
Tampa is typically solid at home and after an extremely quiet night on Tuesday, I expect the offense to respond and score some runs off the rookie Logan Gilbert. Fleming thrives at Tropicana and it’s important to note the Mariners hit just .216 in day games. Take the Rays to cover the spread.
Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (+130)
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
