MLB Free Picks – Garza to Lead Rays to Another MLB Betting Win

A fantastic pitcher’s duel is on tap at Safeco Field on Wednesday night, as the Seattle Mariners mix it up with the Tampa Bay Rays in MLB betting action.

On Tuesday night, Tampa Bay got three hits from 3B Evan Longoria, including a mammoth shot to left field to guide it to a 5-2 victory.

RHP James Shields only allowed two runs and struck out ten in 8.0+ innings of work, while closer Rafael Soriano nailed down his seventh save of the year without much incident to shut the door.

Tampa Bay Rays (19-7, +$832) vs. Seattle Mariners (11-15, -$501)

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, May 5th, 10:10 ET
Game Location: Safeco Field, Seattle, WA
TV/Radio Broadcast: Sun Sports, Fox Sports Northwest, XM

MLB Betting Odds

Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 +155 -110
(Matt Garza – R)
Seattle Mariners +1.5 -175 -110
(Cliff Lee – L)
Total 6.5 O -120 6.5 U EVEN

RHP Matt Garza will get the ball for the sixth time this season from Manager Joe Maddon. So far this year, the right-hander has really only had one bad start, that coming at home against the Blue Jays two outings ago.

He fired back by throwing six frames and allowing just one run in a comfortable 11-1 win over the Royals last week.

Garza, who upped his record to 4-1 on the season last week, has struck out 34 batters in 35.0 innings of work, giving him a strong K/9 ratio of 8.74. He has a 2.06 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP; both of which are amongst the best in the American League.

Seattle has been a bugaboo in his career though, as Garza is just 1-1 with a 9.17 ERA against the M’s.

LHP Cliff Lee will be making his second appearance in a Mariners’ uniform on Wednesday night. He got things started off on the right foot against the Rangers five nights ago, giving up just three hits and no walks in 7.0 scoreless innings of work.

Unfortunately for him, the Mariners lost the game 2-0.

Still, it was a great sign for the 31 year old Lee, who is hoping to cash in via free agency in the offseason. Lee is trying to prove that offseason surgery isn’t going to harm him from having a great season in Seattle.

Dating back to his trade from Cleveland to Philadelphia last season, Lee has only walked ten batters in his L/13 starts.

The southpaw is 6-2 with a 2.32 ERA in ten career starts against Tampa Bay.

MLB Insider Tip: Tampa Bay has won ten of its first 11 road games to start the season.

That’s right. 10-1 in 11 games. The Rays are just on fire, winning their MLB betting fanatics a cool $1,040 in those 11 games, and there’s no reason to hop off of the bandwagon tonight, especially considering the fact that Seattle is just 7-6 and -$35 at Safeco Field.

Garza is the pick tonight to guide the Rays to yet another MLB betting road win!

My MLB Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays (Garza)