An American League East battle begins Monday night when the Tampa Bay Rays (28-7, 9-4 away) visit the Baltimore Orioles (22-12, 9-4 home). These are two of the best teams in the American League and it is an early season measuring stick for both. Below is my MLB pick for the Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles Betting Pick

The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -169

This game will be played at Oriole Park at Camden Yards at 6:35 p.m. on Monday, May 8, 2023.

Why Bet the Tampa Bay Rays:

✅ Tampa Bay is the best team in the majors and they have won five of their last six games overall.

✅ On the road, the Rays have won four of their last five games away from the Trop.

✅ Shane McClanahan is taking the mound and looks like a top five pitcher in baseball – give me the Rays.

Tampa Bay Rays Continuing Winning Series

Tampa Bay has been winning series all season long and that continued this past weekend at home. The Rays hosted the New York Yankees and took two of the three from the Bronx Bombers. Tampa opened the series with a Friday night win, but the Yankees evened the series up with a one run win on Saturday. It took 10 innings, but the Rays grabbed the series win with an 8-7 win on Sunday.

Shane McClanahan is taking the mound for the eighth time this season and he will be looking to build off his 2.03 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.

Randy Arozarena has been brilliant this season as he leads the Rays with a .328 batting average, nine home runs, and 30 RBIs.

The Baltimore Orioles Are Good

Baltimore visited the Atlanta Braves and left with a tough series loss. The Orioles got off to a good start with a 9-4-win Friday night, but the Braves bounced back to win the last two games of the series. It was two losses, but the Orioles lost by one on Saturday and in 12 innings on Sunday, so they were right there with the National League’s best.

Kyle Gibson is set to make his eighth start of the season and he will look to improve on his 4.61 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.

The Orioles have been balanced at the dish as they are led by Austin Hays .291 batting average, Ryan Mountcastle has mashed eight home runs, and Cedric Mullins has drove in 28 RBIs.