Tom Stryker’s Free Baseball Play July 28th

TOM STRYKER’S FREE BASEBALL SELECTION WEDNESDAY, JULY 28TH

#918 TAMPA BAY with Wacha (-125) over New York with Cortes Jr at 7:10 PM EST
Off Sunday’s 3-2 road loss to Cleveland and yesterday’s 4-3 home loss to New York, look for Tampa Bay to go for the jugular in this important division battle. The Devil Rays are still 2.0-games back in the AL East from the top spot and they need to make sure they take care of business in their own backyard.

Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha will toe the rubber for the Fish. Matched up against the O’s, Braves, and Indians in his last three starts, No. 52 was touched for eight earned runs and 15 hits in 15.0 innings of work. Wacha struck out 13 and walked only two batters on his way to a 1-0 record and a 4.80 ERA. Michael has been effective inside the Trop too. At home, Wacha has surrendered 15 earned runs and 30 hits in 32.2 frames. After the math, that adds up to a 1-0 record and a respectable 4.13 ERA.

Young southpaw Nestor Cortes Jr. will counter for the Pinstripes. So far this season, No. 65 has appeared in 10 games for the Bronx Bombers (two starts) and been nipped for six earned runs and 18 hits in 27.2 frames. Cortes Jr. holds a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 34-10 and owns an 0-0 mark with a powerful 1.95 ERA. However, in five relief appearances against the Rays, Nestor has assembled a soft 5.56 ERA in only 11.1 innings of work.

Technically speaking, this is a lucrative spot for manager Kevin Cash’s crew. Tampa Bay has been victorious in 62 of its last 84 when priced as home chalk, 40 of its last 56 in its own backyard battling a foe that holds a team won/loss percentage greater than .500, and 54 of its last 79 matched up versus division foes. On the other side of the bubble, New York has slipped in 21 of its last 31 in this series and seven of its last 10 against AL East opponents.

In order for the Rays to catch the BoSox, they know playing well at home against division foes is essential. Take Tampa Bay with Wacha. Thanks and best of luck, Tom.

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