Brewers-Rays prediction: Picks, odds on Saturday, May 20

The Milwaukee Brewers take on the Tampa Bay Rays in the second game of a three-game series on Saturday, May 20. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET from Tropicana Field. Eric Lauer (4-4, 4.54 ERA) will take the mound for the Brewers, and Zach Eflin (5-1, 3.38 ERA) will pitch for the Rays.

The Rays are -200 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Brewers coming in at +170. The total is set at 8.5.

Brewers

Out: SP Wade Miley (shoulder), 1B Luke Voit (neck), RP Matt Bush (shoulder)

Rays

Out: SP Tyler Glasnow (oblique)

Eric Lauer vs. Zach Eflin

We won't expect Lauer to stay on the mound for long – his May outings have lasted 4.2, 5.1, and 3.2 innings. In May, he has allowed 10 earned runs over three starts and struck out 16 batters, and he's struggled badly against righty batters.

Eflin has put up his two worst performances of the season in his two latest starts, allowing four runs in six innings to both the Orioles and the Yankees. He has good staying power on the mound and frequently lasts beyond five frames, but he had also kept his ERA under 3.00 before his last two starts. Is this the beginning of a slump for the righty?

The Rays have one of the best scoring offenses in baseball right now, despite scoring just one run in the first game of this series last night. The Brewers, meanwhile, have gone scoreless in each of their last two games and face a solid pitcher in Eflin this afternoon. Yesterday's total was one, and I'm going to lean toward that trend continuing.

Pick: Under 8.5

The Rays seem unstoppable right now, though they were kept to just a single run last night. They rank second in MLB in runs per game, and with Eflin on the mound looking to recover from his slight slump in recent games on home turf, we can expect Tampa to give plenty of run support. Lauer has been inconsistent this season, and the Brewers have struggled on the road.

Pick: Rays

  
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