The Tampa Bay Rays will send staff ace Chris Archer to the mound in hopes he can fix what has been broken Thursday afternoon. Archer is winless in his last eight starts, dating back to September 2015, while posting a 0-5 record with a 6.15 ERA in that span. The Rays will hope Archer can cure whatever ails him when they host the Cleveland Indians in matinee action.
- Chris Archer is 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in three career starts against the Indians.
- The Indians are 6-1 in their past seven games against the Rays.
- Mike Napoli has a lifetime batting average of .077 vs Chris Archer.
The Rays have been struggling at the plate, as they rank in the bottom third in the league in every major statistical offensive category. If there has been one ray of sunshine at the plate for Tampa it has been Steven Sousa Jr., who has a .333 batting average with three home runs and five RBIs this season.
The Indians will send Danny Salazar to the mound Thursday following a strong performance in his first outing of the season that saw the pitcher allow just two hits and one run over 5.1 innings.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Those going with the Tampa Bay Rays in this one found them listed on the odds board as moneyline favorites of -130 at Sportsbook for Thursday's contest. The betting total was hovering near 7 at Sportsbook.
Odds Shark computer prediction formulas pick a 3.2-2.8 win for the Rays on Thursday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Cleveland Indians vs Tampa Bay Rays Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
3-5 Tampa Bay battles the Indians, currently with a 3-3 mark. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Tampa Bay vs Cleveland injuries news.
The Tampa Bay Rays sit at No. 18 in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Cleveland Indians sit at No. 3 on the same chart.
Statistical Matchup
On offense, it's a battle between the Tampa Bay Rays and its No. 24-rated batting order, averaging 3 runs per nine innings, against the No. 17 line up of the Cleveland Indians at 4 runs per outing.
Tampa Bay owns the No. 10 defense, allowing 3 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Cleveland's No. 21-rated defense.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Cleveland overcame a dynamite 11-strikeout performance against D Smyly last time out, emerging with a 4-1 win against Tampa Bay on Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
- Cleveland is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Cleveland's last 21 games on the road
- Cleveland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
- Tampa Bay is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games at home
- Tampa Bay is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Cleveland
Next Betting Matchups
Cleveland home to New York, Friday, April 15th
Tampa Bay home to Chicago, Friday, April 15th
