The Tampa Bay Rays host the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, June 22, 2025. First pitch from George M. Steinbrenner Field is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET; the game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Detroit/Sun.
The Tigers will hope to avoid a sweep and a fourth straight loss in the Sunday series finale as the scalding-hot Rays enter as -112 moneyline favorites.
Find my MLB betting preview and Tigers vs Rays prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends and more.
My Tigers vs Rays Prediction
- Tigers vs Rays picks: Tigers Moneyline (play to -135)
My Tigers vs Rays best bet for Sunday is the Tigers moneyline. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Tigers vs Rays Odds
| Tigers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +155 | 9 100o / -120u | -105 |
| Rays Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -190 | 9 100o / -120u | -115 |
Tigers vs Rays Projected Starting Pitchers
| Casey Mize (DET) | Stat | Zack Littell (TB) |
|---|---|---|
| 7-2 | W-L | 6-7 |
| 1.0 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | -0.1 |
| 2.96/3.23 | ERA /xERA | 3.88/4.59 |
| 3.87/3.97 | FIP / xFIP | 5.33/4.20 |
| 1.24 | WHIP | 1.11 |
| 14.6% | K-BB% | 13.4% |
| 40.6% | GB% | 41.6% |
| 96 | Stuff+ | 85 |
| 106 | Location+ | 104 |
Sean Paul’s Tigers vs Rays Preview
Tampa Bay Rays Betting Preview: A Lot of Struggles for Littell
A statement has been made by the Rays this week.
If you missed it, no team in MLB is hotter than the Rays, who have won 22 of their last 30 games. On the surface it may look foolish to bet against them, but this matchup is the perfect one to fade them.
The dreaded regression monster has stared down Zach Littell for a while. The 29-year-old enters Sunday with a 3.88 ERA, but his 4.59 xERA and 5.18 FIP are pretty concerning.
Littell is the ideal innings eater. He goes 6+ innings in nearly every outing, even if he allows 3-5 runs, and that’s because he walks batters just 3% of the time. With such poor underlying numbers, this feels like the perfect time to fade Littell.
Among qualified pitchers, Littell’s 2.14 HR/9 leads the league. He’s the only pitcher with more than 2.00 home runs per nine. That’s a scary number to think about with the super hitter-friendly dimensions at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
The Rays scored four first-inning runs on Friday and Saturday, largely ensuring the win early. After another dominant offensive showing, Tampa Bay has a 128 wRC+ in June (first in MLB).
In the opening game, the Tigers handed the ball to Jack Flaherty, who was bound for an ugly start given his home run rate. In game two, the tandem of Brant Hurter and Sawyer Gipson-Long wasn’t ideal to face an elite offensive squad.
Detroit Tigers Betting Preview: Eyes on Mize
In the series finale, there’s nobody the Tigers should trust on the bump (besides Tarik Skubal) more than Casey Mize.
In Mize’s quest for his first fully healthy season since 2021, he’s entrenched himself as a very reliable pitcher. The 28-year-old has a stout 2.96 ERA, but his 3.23 xERA and 3.87 FIP suggest that a minor regression could be looming.
Moreover, the silver lining to draw from losing the first two games is that the Tigers' back end of the 'pen is fresh.
In the last five games, Tommy Kahnle has pitched twice and closer Will Vest has pitched once. That duo has dominated all year long, so Detroit will be in prime winning position if it can lead heading into the seventh, where it's blown just one lead (last Sunday against the Reds) all season.
The Tigers’ elite offense has been overshadowed in this series by an even better one. But that shouldn’t take away from the Tigers' strong month of June, posting a 117 wRC+ (third in MLB) with 26 home runs (fifth in MLB).
Since the calendar flipped to June, Tigers star Riley Greene found his swing, posting a 185 wRC+ with four homers. Five other Detroit batters boast a wRC+ better than 130 in June, as Wenceel Perez and Javier Baez each are above 150.
The scary sight question is what happens to the Tigers' lineup when Kerry Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson begin hitting again? They're hitting .170 and .169, respectively, in June.
Their ability to hit homers, particularly against right-handed pitching, makes facing Littell a dream matchup.
Tigers vs Rays Prediction, Betting Analysis
With a sweep on the line, I'll gladly take the Tigers moneyline up to -135.
Littell is a ticking time bomb. I also think Mize's hot start to 2025 is fairly sustainable — more so than Littell's, at least.
Both offenses have elite firepower, but I'll go with the team that ranks top five in homers in June versus the league leader in HR/9.
Pick: Tigers ML (play to -135)
Moneyline
My best bet for this game is the Tigers moneyline.
Run Line (Spread)
I have no play for either run line.
Over/Under
I have no play for the game total.
