Rays starter Ryan Pepiot has struck out 35 batters in four June starts covering 24.2 innings. That's a 37.2 percent strikeout rate. On Friday, he faces an Orioles lineup that he dominated on June 16. In that matchup, Pepiot fanned 11 Orioles over eight innings of one-run ball. This number has moved to 6.5 at several books, and I'm good playing it there for a half-unit.

The Rays have won 10 of 13 and six straight on the road. The Orioles have now lost four of five and have been shutout twice in that stretch. Ryan Pepiot is on the mound for the Rays and he's been outstanding with a 2.30 ERA in his last 11 starts. Orioles' starter Tomoyuki Sugano has a 6.39 ERA in his last three. The Rays will win this game.

Why would we think of doing anything right now other than going with the red-hot Rays? The Royals were the latest to feel Tampa Bay's sting, getting swept three at home and only scoring once in the process. Thursday's 4-0 win upped the Rays' mark to 25-8 across their last 33, and there hasn't been a hotter Tampa Bay pitcher than Ryan Pepiot, who has a 1.64 ERA across his last six starts. As for the O's, they've recovered slightly the past few weeks, but are off of a shutout loss vs Jacob de Grom and the Rangers, and starter Tomoyuki Sugano hasn't lasted as long as five innings across his last three starts, with a 6.39 ERA that span. Play Rays on Money Line

Ryan Pepiot has won his last two starts for the Rays, including one against Baltimore that he won 7-1, which is his opponent Friday night. In that game against Baltimore, he allowed one run for eight innings. The game was on June 16th, and Friday is June 27th. Does Baltimore know what he's going to throw with a meeting so soon, or are they baffled and can't hit him? I think Tampa Bay's bats carry them in this game, where they batted .317 in the last 13 games, which leads MLB. Keep betting the Rays until they don't hit.

Hottest team in the league against one of the worst. Best RL team on the road vs the worst RL team at home. O's hurler running out of gas and not used to these parks and this heat and a 5-man rotation coming over from Japan. 9 ER, 21 H and 6 W in last three starts (12 2/3 IP). Rays hurler went 8 with 11 Ks vs O's a week ago.