Baseball betting stays focused on inter-league play on Friday as the Cardinals of St. Louis swing away against the Rays of Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay hands the ball to starter Wade Davis in this one and he'll try to improve on his 7-5 mark on the year. St. Louis counters with Jake Westbrook, who will try to quiet the fans and the Rays bats at the same time.



View St Louis vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
On the Sportsbook MLB line for this matchup, Tampa Bay sat as -140 favorites. The total was set at 9.

Power Rankings:
The Rays sit at No. 9 in the American League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Cardinals sit at a National League No. 8 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Tampa Bay has the American League's No. 8-rated offensive output, at 8.2 hits per game. The Cardinals average 9.2 hits per game, good for No. 1 on the National League list.

Tampa Bay owns the American League's No. 4 defense, allowing 3.9 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with St. Louis' National League No. 13-rated defense.

St. Louis was a 9-6 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Orioles. They won as -130 favorites, while the total score of 15 made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. St. Louis rolled to a 9-6 win against Baltimore on Thursday, as Jaime Garcia and the Cardinals' bats led the team to victory at Camden Yards.

The Rays were a 4-3 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Reds. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Cincinnati at +162 on the moneyline, while the total score (7) was good news for UNDER bettors. James Shields fanned 10 batters in a 4-3 loss against Cincinnati in the team's last game, played on Wednesday at Tropicana Field.


St. Louis Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Tampa Bay are 3-3
After playing Baltimore are 4-1
After a win are 6-4

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing St. Louis are 3-3
After playing Cincinnati are 2-6
After a loss are 7-3

A few Cardinals at Rays trends to consider:
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 10 of St. Louis' last 15 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis' last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 10 games at home
Tampa Bay is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
Tampa Bay is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis


Next up:
St. Louis at Tampa Bay, Saturday, July 2