Tampa Bay travels to Florida for inter-league play on Sunday, hoping to secure a victory over the Marlins.

James Shields gets the ball in front of a hostile crowd for the Rays on this day; he's 4-2 on the season. The Marlins, meanwhile, will counter with Jay Buente, who will be looking to improve on his 0-0 mark.



View Tampa Bay vs Florida Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had installed the Marlins as +110 moneyline underdogs in this particular MLB matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 7.5 before betting started to move the line.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Marlins, most recently No. 4 in the National League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Rays, who rate an American League No. 7 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Florida's No. 5 ranked National League offense (4.3 runs per game) against a Rays defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 3 in the American League at 3.8 runs allowed per game. The Marlins have been averaging 8.5 hits per game, more than the Rays have managed so far this season (8.1 hits on average).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Florida has the National League's No. 5-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Rays own the American League's No. 3 mark in runs allowed.

Tampa Bay lost its last outing, a 5-3 result against the Marlins on May 21. Bettors who backed the Marlins at +149 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (8) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Tampa Bay looks to rebound from a loss to the Marlins, who beat them 5-3 on Saturday behind a start from Javier Vazquez at Sun Life Stadium.




Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 6-4
Before playing Detroit are 6-4
After playing Florida are 6-4
After a loss are 7-3

Florida Marlins Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 6-4
Before playing San Francisco are 4-6
After playing Tampa Bay are 5-5
After a win are 3-7

A few Rays at Marlins trends to consider:
Tampa Bay is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Tampa Bay's last 18 games when playing on the road against Florida
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Tampa Bay's last 23 games when playing Florida
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Florida is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
Florida is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Florida's last 18 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Florida's last 23 games when playing Tampa Bay


Next up:
Tampa Bay at Detroit, Monday, May 23
Florida at San Francisco, Tuesday, May 24