Braves vs. Rays: Game 1, prediction, odds, injuries and picks

The Atlanta Braves travel to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, for a three-game series against the Rays. Atlanta is coming off a dramatic walk-off win against NL East rival Phillies.

Tampa Bay, on the other hand, has lost its previous two series after being swept by the Texas Rangers and getting pummeled 11-1 in the series-closer against the Los Angeles Angels. First pitch is scheduled at 7:05 p.m. Eastern time.

Braves vs Rays recent form and records

Although they had a memorable walk-off win yesterday, Atlanta is currently winless away from home. The injury-embattled squad currently has seven losses in the same amount of road games this year.

The Rays, meanwhile, share the same fate as the Braves. Fortunately, though, they are playing at their "home field," wherein they are 5-4 so far in 2025. Tampa Bay is currently lost in the shuffle in the stacked AL East as the Yankees and the surprising Blue Jays are fighting for the division lead. The revamped, Red Sox, meanwhile, currently own a 7-7 win-loss card.

Players to watch

Starting pitchers

ATL: Bryce Elder (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs TB: Taj Bradley (1-0, 4.91 ERA)

Must-watch Hitters

Tampa Bay Rays

Former All-Star and MLB Second Teamer Brandon Lowe has had a brilliant start to the 2025 season. In 2024, Lowe smashed 21 home runs and drove in 58 runs while batting .244. The 30-year-old generated a total of 2.4 fWAR for Tampa.

He currently has three home runs and eight RBIs on 13 base hits and owns a .289/.319/.489 slash line with an OPS of .808.

The second baseman hit two of his three homers at home this year. Expect him to replicate the feat in the series against Atlanta.

Braves vs Rays baseball betting odds

Friday, 4/11	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
ATL	+108	+1.5, -213	O 8.5, -128
TB	-119	-1.5, +163	U 8.5, +104

Braves vs Rays expert picks and game prediction

The writing is on the wall for Atlanta. With stars such as Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider, and Jurickson Profar out of action, the team has looked lost and has remained in the basement of the NL East. It would take a minor miracle for the team to overcome the Rays in Game 1 of the series.

As for the Rays, they shouldn't treat the game as a cake walk as they are currently in the bottom five of the league when it comes to runs scored, with just 43 so far. If they take the game lightly, the visitors might just snag the victory away from their grasp.

Run Line: -1.5, +163

Total Runs: U 8.5, +104

Prediction: TB win, 3-1

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago

Braves vs. Rays: Game 1, prediction, odds, injuries and picks - April 11, MLB 2025