The American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays entered their weekend showdown with the division-rival Baltimore Orioles having been swept in a home series just once this season. They're hoping to keep that number from doubling on Monday.
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Tampa Bay (74-49) attempts to avoid a four-game sweep when its hosts Baltimore (61-63) at 6:05 p.m. ET in the series finale at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rays lost three home contests against the Detroit Tigers in the beginning of June, marking the only time they've been swept at home this year.
The club was on the wrong side of a series sweep three times in the first half of the season, with one of those occurring at Baltimore in late May. The Rays are on the verge of being swept a second time since the All-Star break as they began the second half with four losses to the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park.
Tampa Bay, which has seen its lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East shrink to 5 1/2 games, dropped a pair of one-run decisions to Baltimore before getting thumped 10-2 on Sunday. The Orioles have won five of their last seven contests to climb into the third wild-card berth, one-half game ahead of the Texas Rangers. The race for the playoff spot is extremely tight, as seven teams -- all with records under .500 -- are separated by just 2 1/2 games.
Nine other games are on MLB's Monday evening schedule, including the opener of a key three-game set between the Miami Marlins (64-61) and host Philadelphia Phillies (67-58) at 6:40 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies, who occupy a wild-card berth in the National League, are coming off a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins, while the Marlins posted back-to-back victories over the Cincinnati Reds after losing the opener of their series. Miami, which is three games back in the wild-card race, followed a franchise-record 12-game skid by sweeping Philadelphia at home in late July.
Meanwhile, the red-hot San Diego Padres (67-58) look to tighten their grip on an NL wild-card berth when they visit the New York Mets (56-69) at 7:10 p.m. ET for the opener of a three-game series at Citi Field. The Padres have won seven of their last eight contests and are 17-5 over their past 22. San Diego and Philadelphia both are one game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the wild-card race.
The NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (74-51) attempt to bounce back from a rough weekend as they begin a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies (50-74) at 8:40 p.m. ET at Coors Field. Los Angeles lost three of four at home to the NL-best Milwaukee Brewers and have gone 7-13 since July 26. The Dodgers, who lead the Padres by seven games in the division, are 7-3 versus the Rockies this year but split a four-game set in Denver earlier this campaign.
The Rays are -159 money line betting favorites against the Orioles in the latest consensus MLB betting odds, while the Phillies are massive -246 betting favorites versus the Marlins. The Mets are -120 favorites over the Padres at sports betting apps and the Dodgers are a whopping -259 to win against the Rockies.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, Aug. 17. All times Eastern
MLB best bets, where to watch
Orioles at Rays
Time: 6:05 p.m. | Location: St. Petersburg, Fla. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Over 7.5 (-119) | Expert: Shane McClanahan Under 12.5 outs recorded (-114, PropBetGuy)
The Orioles and Rays have combined for eight or more runs in six of their nine meetings this season, including two of the first three in this series. Baltimore has scored at least five runs in six of its last seven contests. Tampa Bay left-hander Shane McClanahan is 7-0 with a 2.97 ERA against the Orioles in his career, but he's returning from a back injury and gave up four runs over five innings in a home start versus Baltimore earlier this season. The SportsLine Projection Model doesn't believe there will be a shortage of runs Monday, as the Over hits in more than 62% of its simulations. SportsLine props expert PropBetGuy (85-58, +1359 on his last 143 MLB player prop picks) feels the Rays will be cautious with McClanahan and doesn't see him working more than four innings.
Marlins at Phillies
Time: 6:40 p.m. | Location: Philadelphia | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Marlins +1.5 (-101) | Expert: Phillies -1.5 (+110, Eric Cohen)
The Marlins have won four straight against the Phillies, including a three-game sweep late last month. Miami has gone 6-3 over its last nine overall contests, with two of the losses coming by just one run. Philadelphia is 2-3 in its last five at home, and one of the victories was by a run. The SportsLine Projection Model sees the Marlins keeping the series opener close as its simulations have them covering the run line 59% of the time. SportsLine expert Eric Cohen (44-23, +2006 on his last 67 MLB picks) disagrees, however, as the Phillies have won each of lefty Cristopher Sanchez's last five home starts by three or more runs.
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Padres at Mets
Time: 7:10 p.m. | Location: Queens, N.Y. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Padres +1.5 (-199) | Expert: Padres ML (+105, Micah Roberts)
Both teams enter the series playing well, as the Padres have won seven of their last eight games and the Mets are 9-3 over their past 12. However, New York's last two victories were both by a single run. San Diego right-hander Walker Buehler has a 4.88 ERA but has given up just one run in each of his last two starts and three or fewer in five straight. The SportsLine Projection Model doesn't see the Padres getting blown out, as they cover the run line in 69% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Micah Roberts (26-20-2, +983 on his last 48 MLB picks) is backing San Diego to win outright as it triumphed in each of Buehler's last six turns, defeating Milwaukee and Arizona in the last two.
Dodgers at Rockies
Time: 8:40 p.m. | Location: Denver | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Rockies +1.5 (+142) | Expert: Blake Snell Over 6.5 strikeouts (-133, Alex Selesnick)
On paper, this is a David vs. Goliath matchup, as the Dodgers are 23 games over .500 and the Rockies are 24 games under that mark. Los Angeles also is 7-3 against Colorado this season. But the Dodgers have lost 11 of their last 16 overall contests and the Rockies have won four of their past five. The SportsLine Projection Model thinks the Rockies will put up a good fight in the series opener as its simulations have them covering the run line in 51% of its simulations. Los Angeles southpaw Blake Snell was strong in his first start since May 9, registering 10 strikeouts over six innings against the Kansas City Royals last Tuesday. SportsLine props expert Alex Selesnick likes his chances of fanning at least seven on Monday, as he has recorded 124 strikeouts across 77 frames in 14 career turns versus the Rockies.
