The Tampa Bay Rays (31-11) take one of the highest-scoring lineups in MLB on the road to face the New York Mets (20-22) at Citi Field on Tuesday for the opener of a three-game Interleague series.
The Rays are kicking off the final series of their 10-game road trip. They split their last series against the Yankees, taking the finale 8-7 on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Taylor Walls was 3 for 4 with a home run and a triple. He had four RBIs.
Isaac Paredes added two runs and one RBI on one hit and a walk. The Mets are playing the first of six games at home after concluding a seven-game road trip (3-4).
They split their last series against the Nationals, dropping the finale 10-3 on Monday at Nationals Park. Starling Marte went 2 for 4 with one run.
The teams are meeting for the first time since May 16, 2021, when the Rays finished off a three-game series sweep with a 7-1 victory at Tropicana Field.
ON THE MOUND
Jalen Beeks (1-2, 5.40 ERA) is slated to start for Tampa Bay. The lefty threw two scoreless innings in relief in his last appearance, a 9-8 road defeat against the Yankees on Saturday.
He scattered one hit while striking out three. For New York, RHP Justin Verlander (1-1, 2.25 ERA) will toe the rubber. In his last start on Wednesday, Verlander got the win on the road against the Reds. He threw seven innings and gave up one run on two hits, striking out seven and walking two in the 2-1 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
The Tampa Bay offense is averaging 6.2 runs per game for the season, second best in the league, with a slash line of .275/.349/.508. Yandy Diaz leads the team in OPS at 1.021. The third baseman is slashing .321/.429/.593 with 10 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 33 runs over 39 games.
Against righties like Verlander this season, the Rays have an .840 OPS, highest in MLB. Diaz also is the team’s best performer against right-handers with a 1.062 OPS in 113 at-bats. New York is slashing .239/.324/.381 for the season and averaging 4.1 runs per game.
Brandon Nimmo leads the team with ann .863 OPS. The left fielder has three home runs, 18 RBIs, and 23 runs scored with a slash line of .320/.410/.453.
The Mets have a .713 OPS against southpaws in 2023. With a .958 OPS over 49 at-bats, Pete Alonso has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Tampa Bay is 12-8 on the road in 2023, scoring 6.4 runs per game while allowing 4.1 runs. New York has gone 7-8 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 4.6. Tampa Bay is 6-3 in nine meetings at Citi Field with an average scoreline of 4.6-3.1.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Rays lead the AL East by four games over the Orioles. The Mets are third in the NL East, five games behind the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
NY Mets (-160)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
