Brewers vs Rays Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for May 20 (Expect Another Pitching Duel at Tropicana Field)

The Milwaukee Brewers (24-20) and Tampa Bay Rays (33-13) meet for the second time in as many days when they clash at Tropicana Field on Saturday, May 20.

Brewers vs Rays Game Info

• Date: Saturday, May 20, 2023
• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Venue: Tropicana Field -- St. Petersburg, Florida
• Coverage: FS1

The Rays opened up the three-game series with a 1-0 victory over the Brewers less than 24 hours ago. The pitching duel was tied 0-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning until Francisco Mejia hit a sacrifice fly, allowing Luke Raley to score from third base.

Brewers vs Rays Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: MIL: (+184) | TB: (-220)
• Spread: MIL: +1.5 (-115) | TB: -1.5 (-104)
• Total: 8.5 -- Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

The Rays enter this contest as home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 4:10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 8.5 runs with the Under being favored at -115 odds.

Brewers vs Rays Betting Trends

• Milwaukee is 1-4 straight up (SU) in its last five games against the AL East.
• Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last seven home games.
• The total has hit the under in 10 of Milwaukee's last 12 road games against Tampa Bay.
• The total has hit the under in four of Tampa Bay's last five games against the NL Central.

Brewers vs Rays Prediction & Pick

The Brewers hope that starting pitcher Eric Lauer can help the club have another strong pitching performance. While the veteran arm has had his struggles at times, he's actually been pitching better in away scenarios. Lauer is currently 3-1 with a 1.90 ERA in four road starts compared to 1-3 with an 8.44 ERA in a quartet of outings (three starts) at home.

Meanwhile, the Rays are counting on Zach Eflin to match Lauer pitch for pitch. The 29-year-old hurler has been rock solid with a 5-1 record, 3.38 ERA, and 1.075 WHIP in his first seven starts as a Ray. On top of that, Elfin is a perfect 4-0 with a 1.96 ERA while averaging 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in four starts at Tropicana in 2023.

In what'll likely be another pitching battle, I'm going with the team with the more consistent offense: the Rays. Tampa Bay averages the third-most runs at home (5.78) in the Majors, whereas Milwaukee averages an NL-worst 3.65 on the road. Furthermore, the Brewers have tallied just four total runs in their last four games and have been shut out in back-to-back contests.

With how well Eflin has been pitching, I don't see the Brewers' offensive luck changing. Back the Rays to take one step closer to sweeping this series.

Final Score Prediction: Rays: 4 | Brewers: 1

Brewers vs Rays Best Bet

For this game's best bet, it's wise to take the under on the 8.5-run total. With the Brewers struggling to create offense, the under has hit in five of their last seven games. On the other side, the under is 4-1 in the Rays' previous five matchups with the NL Central.

Furthermore, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay have averaged only 4.9 runs, finishing with fewer than 8.5 in each meeting. Considering how Lauer has impressed on the road while Eflin has been unstoppable at home, I don't see a ton of runs in the cards this evening.

Bet: Under 8.5 Total Runs (-115)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.