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#916 Tampa Bay Rays (Baz) -110 over Seattle Mariners (Castillo) 6:35 PM CT

Seattle won 4-2 on Sunday to avoid getting swept in Cleveland, only posting one hit with runners in scoring position but it was a big one, as Julio Rodriguez hit a two-out, full-count, roller up the middle that he beat out, allowing two runs to score to break a 2-2 tie. Seattle used its top three relievers to close out the game and will make the trip to Tampa while still only 32-37 in road games. The Rays had a horrible month of July, but Tampa Bya is 6-2 in the past eight games as this has been a competitive team in recent weeks and is only two games below .500 on the season. Shane Baz has a FIP well below his elevated 5.19 ERA in 144 innings and he has a 9.6 K/9. He has not pitched well in Tampa this season, but he has also only made two home starts since late July and he faced the Yankees and Dodgers for tough draws. Luis Castillo has a decent season line with a 3.75 ERA, but his FIP is above 4.00 and his K/9 of 7.9 is by far the worst of his career. Castillo’s recent trajectory has been negative, with 24 hits and 14 runs allowed in his last three starts, spanning only 13 innings while his road ERA is 5.04 this season as Castillo would be tough to trust if the Mariners made the playoffs, even though he is the veteran on the staff. Tampa Bay has a 1.02 WHIP and a 2.11 ERA from its bullpen in the past 10 games compared to Seattle featuring a 1.60 WHIP with a 5.28 bullpen ERA. In the past 10 games the Rays have hit .270 vs. right-handers compared to the Mariners batting just .205 and this looks like a difficult set-up for Seattle to be at its best.