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Two of the best teams around baseball continue their series today as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays face off. Game one of the series saw the Rays take the win by a score of 4-1 and both teams will be looking to make their mark here today. Tampa Bay is going for the series win while the Pirates are looking to even the series up before the third and final game Thursday. Before this series, the Pirates took two of three games from the Washington Nationals so they will be trying to go for another series win here. As for the Rays, they continue their incredible start to the season after taking three of four from the Chicago White Sox prior to this matchup.
Date: Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023
Time: 6:40 p.m. EST
Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida
Team Records: Pittsburgh Pirates (20-10), Tampa Bay Rays (24-6)
Projected Starting Pitchers:
Mitch Keller (3-0, 3.53 ERA) vs Shane McClanahan (5-0, 2.12 ERA)
What to Watch:
Shane McClanahan has been lights out for the Rays to start the season. He is one of the favorites to win the AL CY Young award currently even though the season is still young. McClanahan has nasty stuff out on the mound and will be looking to tame this young and exciting Pirates offense today. He will need to make sure to not allow too many walks and be mindful of stolen bases. The Pirates are one of the best teams in the league at stealing bases so the Rays will need to find a way to counter this.
Tampa Bay is one of the most well rounded teams in all of baseball so even after McClanahan leaves the game, the bullpen is lethal in their own right. The Pirates will need to find a way to muster up runs early on otherwise it could be a long day for them.
Game Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 3
Shane McClanahan shoves once again as the Rays take another game in this series against the Pirates.
Odds Presented By Betfred Sportsbook
Spread – Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5 (-120) / Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (+100)
Moneyline – Pittsburgh Pirates +180 / Tampa Bay Rays -225
Total – 7.0 – Over (-115) / Under (-105)
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