The 2022 MLB season continues Sunday, July 10, with the interleague showdown from Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, so we bring you the best Rays vs. Reds betting pick and odds.  

Tampa Bay and Cincinnati close down their three-game series, and the Rays are listed as -145 road favorites on BetOnline Sportsbook. The Reds are +134 moneyline dogs, and the totals sit at 9.0 runs. 

The Rays hope Shane Baz continues to shine                                      

The Tampa Bay Rays suffered a tough 2-1 defeat in ten innings at Great American Ball Park this past Friday. They failed to extend their winning streak to three games and fell to 45-38 on the season. The Rays were second in the AL East on Saturday, half a game ahead of the Boston Red Sox and 15.5 behind the New York Yankees. 

The second game of this series has been excluded from the analysis. Tampa Bay was listed as a -141 moneyline fave to beat the Reds and grab its sixth win in eight outings at any location. Over the last seven days, the Rays have recorded an excellent 2.35 ERA while slashing .235/.330/.369 at the dish. 

Shane Baz will toe the slab Sunday and shoot for his second consecutive win. Last Sunday, Baz whiffed seven across six innings of a one-run ball in a 7-3 road victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The 23-year-old right-hander is now 1-1 with a strong 2.92 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 28/9 K/BB ratio in five starts (24.2 innings) this season. 

The Reds beat Tampa for their second straight W              

The Cincinnati Reds outlasted the Rays in Friday’s opener to improve their record to 30-54 for the season. The Reds grabbed their second straight victory and fourth in the last seven games overall. They were still sitting bottom of the NL Central, miles away from the wild-card spot in the National League. 

The Reds’ pitching staff has done a surprisingly good job in the last seven days, tallying a 3.06 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and .233 opposing batting average across 67.2 innings of work. Nick Lodolo will get the nod Sunday, and the 24-year-old southpaw is 1-2 with a 4.19 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and 27/8 K/BB ratio in four starts (19.1 innings) in 2022. 

Lodolo has recently recovered from a back injury. The talented rookie pitched 4.2 frames in a no-decision against the Mets this past Tuesday, surrendering three hits and three free passes while punching out eight. 

Trends:

Tampa Bay: 

  • 5-2 in the last seven games overall 
  • 16-4 in the last 20 games against the National League    

Cincinnati:

  • 7-13 in the last 20 games overall 
  • 4-13 in the last 17 games at home  

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cincinnati Reds Pick 

We’ll see a great matchup on the mound between a couple of future stars. The Rays and Reds haven’t impressed at the plate of late, so both Shane Baz and Nick Lodolo should have a good game. Hereof, I’m expecting the Rays’ bullpen to make the difference down the stretch. 

Tampa Bay’s relievers have a 3.32 ERA in 2022, while the Reds’ bullpen sits at 5.44 ERA for the season. Cincinnati’s relievers hold an underwhelming 4.76 ERA, 4.34 FIP, and 7.7 K/9 in July, so give me the Rays at the moneyline odds. 

Pick: Take Tampa Bay Rays at -145                                            

The Total:

I’ve mentioned the Rays’ mediocre triple-slash in the last seven days, while the Reds were hitting a poor .201/.283/.330 across 224 at-bats in that span. Baring any meltdown on the mound, we shouldn’t see a high-scoring affair, though Great American Ball Park is a hitter-friendly environment. 

Three of the Rays’ previous four contests have gone under the total. On the other side, the under is 6-2 in the Reds’ last eight outings. 

Pick: Go under 9.0 runs at -110