Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Mets Prediction, Odds and more: May 3rd

The Tampa Bay Rays kick off a 9-game home stand at Tropicana Field on Friday night, and the NY Mets arrive for the first series through this weekend. The Rays’ injury list is packed to the gills and has them placed in the American League East Division basement.

Our Rays vs Mets prediction is the New York Mets Moneyline at +116 with Pinnacle, 

While the Rays struggle to find a lick of consistency this season, the Mets are also in a funk having lost 7 of their last 11 games. New York started the campaign with five straight losses but has still managed to climb back to the .500 mark at 15 – 15 entering this weekend’s series in Tampa.

Ej has banged out a pair of same-game parlays over the last two days, and he has another plus-money offer on the table for this contest. Let’s hit the Trop for the Rays vs Mets breakdown, and see how Ej plans on ending the week

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TAMPA BAY RAYS VS NY METS PICKS AND PREDICTION: BARK LIKE A ROAD DOG

The 2023 campaign is so far in the rear-view mirror and at this time last year, the Rays were seemingly running away from the league. Tampa Bay was eventually caught by the Orioles who won the AL East title, and then they flopped in the post-season wasting the hot start.

The big problem for the Rays this year is that massive list of players featured on the injury report. Entering the weekend series with the Mets,  the Rays have 16 players out of the lineup, and Jose Siri is serving a suspension for this game on Friday night.

Siri sat out the Thursday game and will be out until Saturday after the Brewers and Rays got into a serious brawl\ the other night. Abner Uribe and Siri threw punches as the benches cleared and Siri landed a 3-game suspension that was reduced to two games. Boys will be boys, after all, this is a kids’ game, right? HA!

Francisco Lindor sat out of the Thursday game against the Cubs but is expected to travel to Tampa for the weekend. Lindor was under the weather with the flu and felt too weak to take the field to wrap up the four-game series with the Cubs. The Mets still managed to steal a win, 7 – 6, after losing two of the first three games with Chicago to salvage a split in the series.

The Rays should not be the favorites for this game, so a plus-money offer on the Mets is the best way to go for this contest. The Rays look more like a AAA team than a Major League outfit, and the Mets better take advantage of it while they can.

Jose Quintana also has me liking this Mets team to win today, and I watched his last start against the Cardinals. Quintana hurled 8 solid innings of 3-hit ball, but he picked up a no-decision because the Mets’ offense didn’t help him out a lick.

Aaron Civale got lit up against the White Sox in his last outing, and that alone is disturbing enough to shy me away from Tampa Bay. Between the suspension for Siri and the injuries the Rays are dealing with, it’s time to fade the home team!

Pinnacle is showing the best offer I can find at +116 (2.16), so the Mets get the nod to win Game 1 of the series with the Rays on Friday.

• Selection: New York Mets Moneyline
• Best Odds: +116
• Bookmaker: Pinnacle
• Stakes: 4/10

Tampa Bay vs NY Mets Game Info

• Time: 18:50 Eastern Time, May 3
• Location: Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay, FL
• Starting Pitchers: Aaron Civale vs Jose Quintana
• Game Lines: TB ML -130 / NY Mets +115 – O/U 8
• Where to Watch: SNY / MLBTV

Tampa Bay Rays News, Injury Report, Schedule

I mentioned above that Jose Siri will be suspended for Friday night’s game, but he will return to center field on Saturday. Siri joins a list of 15 other Rays out of the mix due to injuries, and there is no way I could mention them all without killing my word count!

Isaac Paredes also sat out of the last game for the Rays with an arm injury, and his status is up in the air for the weekend series with the Mets.

Tampa Bay will be home through May 12, as the Mets, White Sox, and Yankees will all play three-game sets at the Trop. A game series with Boston on the road will come next, and then it is on to Toronto for a set against the Jays.

New York Mets News, Injury Report, Schedule

Francisco Lindor sat out the Thursday game against the Cubs dealing with flu-like symptoms. The Mets still managed to win the series’ final game with the Cubs to split the four-game set, and Lindor is hopeful to return to the lineup tonight.

The Mets will close out this series on Sunday and head to St. Louis for a three-game set against the Cardinals. After a day off on May 9, the NL East portion of the schedule will kick into gear.

The Mets will host Atlanta for three days at Citi Field and then the Phillies will pop into town for a pair of games. The Phils and Mets will switch venues for another two-game set, and then it is onto Florida to face the Marlins.

Rays vs Mets H2H: Rays With Slight Edge

• The Mets and Rays will only play three games against each other in 2024, this being the only series between them.
• The Rays hold a 17 – 16 edge in 33 meetings with the Mets since 1998, although the Mets won two of the three meetings a season ago in New York.

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