The first game of a full Wednesday of MLB action has a first pitch of 1:10 p.m. ET from Comerica Park and holds some American League playoff ramifications as the Tampa Bay Rays conclude a series in Detroit. It's their last meeting of the season unless the Tigers can sneak into the AL playoff field.
Bet $5+ and get $200 in bonus bets when you bet on baseball at DraftKings: Fans can try MLB betting on the best sports betting apps and get bonuses. They can also check out the SportsLine Projection Model for picks on games like Rays-Tigers from the model's 10,000 simulations, as well as from our experts. There is no question that the Junior Circuit is wide open this season, with no truly great team, and the AL East-leading Rays have a clear path to home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and a trip to the franchise's third all-time World Series.
Tampa Bay holds a 3.5-game lead over the New York Yankees for the East lead, as well as the best record in the AL. With Aaron Judge's return still up in the air, I don't see New York catching Tampa Bay. In a push to win the franchise's first World Series, the Rays looked at trading for two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from Detroit but opted not to beat the offer made by the Dodgers and opted for New York Mets righty Freddy Peralta (5-11, 5.33 ERA).
He had been a massive disappointment with New York, but the Rays believe they are "Pitching Whisperers" and can fix anyone. And they are often right. But it hasn't worked yet for the disappointing Peralta, who is 0-2 with a 7.17 ERA in four starts with his new team with batters hitting .288 off him.
That's worse than he was with the Mets, who gave up a lot more in prospect talent to get Peralta last offseason from Milwaukee than they got from Tampa Bay for him at this year's trade deadline. The Rays believe he is pitching better, however, with mechanical adjustments increasing his extension and raising his release point. "I've never been in a situation like this before," he said of the in-season trade.
"It was a little bit of both. Mentally, I was a little down, because I knew the situation that I am going to free agency. I know I wanted to compete.
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