Arizona Diamondbacks vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction: Home turf will be another huge factor

On Thursday, MLB action will take place at Chase Field, featuring a matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Let's take a look at the matchup ahead of us and make a pick and forecast.

Arizona Diamondbacks - could make it two wins over Rays

The Arizona Diamondbacks have won their previous three games by a combined score of 19 runs, and they have won their last eight games by scoring four or more runs. When scoring four or more runs in a game, the Diamondbacks have won seven of their last ten contests. The Diamondbacks are led by Ketel Marte, who has 84 hits and 43 RBI. Corbin Carroll and Christian Walker have combined for 163 hits and 98 RBI. Today's starting pitcher, Zach Davies, has a record of 1-4 with a 7.82 earned run average and 30 strikeouts so far this season. This will be the second time in Davies's career that he faces the Rays. The Diamondbacks have a record of 11-4 in their previous 15 games played on Thursday, and they are 6-1 in their last 7 games played against teams from other leagues. The total has gone under in each of the Diamondbacks last four games played on Thursday.

Tampa Bay Rays - will the visitors turn things around?

The Tampa Bay Rays have scored at least four runs in seven of their previous eight games, including a total of 11 runs in their most recent three games. The Tampa Bay Rays have failed to win five of their last seven games despite scoring four or more runs in each of those contests. Wander Franco leads the Rays with 84 hits and 36 runs batted in, while Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena have a combined total of 161 hits and 92 runs batted in. This season, Zach Eflin has been dominant on the mound, posting a 9-3 record with a 3.35 earned run average and 84 strikeouts. In his career against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Eflin has a record of 0-2 with a 3.38 earned run average and 17 strikeouts. The Tampa Bay Rays have a record of 2-6 in their past 8 games played away from home against opponents from other leagues, but they are 5-0 in their last 5 games played on Thursday. In their previous seven games, the Tampa Bay Rays are 6-1 against the over.

Expert Betting Tips

The Tampa Bay Rays receive the benefit of the doubt here with Zach Eflin on the mound, as he has been consistent all year and appears to be a much better choice than Zach Davies. Zach Davies hasn't been as good as Eflin, so the benefit of the doubt goes to the Tampa Bay Rays. Eflin has a WHIP of 1.03 and an ERA of 3.35, while Davies has a WHIP of 1.82 and an ERA of 7.82. Even so, the Arizona Diamondbacks are one of the hottest teams in baseball and are now the most profitable team for bettors. I'm going to overlook who's going to be on the mound for either team and go with the Arizona Diamondbacks.