Barstool Bush
Predictions

Arizona Diamondbacks at Tampa Bay Rays

By Bush StaffUpdated 56d ago·2 min read
Arizona DiamondbacksARI(41-40)
Tampa Bay RaysTB(46-33)
2—4
FINAL
123456789RHE
ARI
100000010270
TB
10002100—480

Jose Cabrera (0-0, 0.00 ERA) gets the ball Saturday at 6:10 PM ET for Arizona, making just his 2nd career MLB start. His debut June 21 in Phoenix was genuinely impressive — 5 shutout innings against Minnesota, 62 pitches, 3 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts — but the bullpen coughed up a 2-0 lead and the D-backs lost 4-2. Tampa Bay counters with Cole Sulser (1-0, 5.40 ERA) in an opener role as the Rays run a bullpen game.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Diamondbacks(41-40)
LPWWL
2
Rays(46-33)
WWWLL
4
Best BetRays -158
Pregame

Tampa Bay at -153 is fair price for what you're getting: a 46-33 team at home, riding a 3-game win streak, against an opponent sending out a pitcher with exactly 1 MLB start on his resume. The Diamondbacks are a .500 team in full rotation crisis. Arizona's implied 41% win probability is generous given the circumstances.

The reason Cabrera is even here tells the real story about Arizona's rotation. Corbin Burnes — the $210 million ace — is shut down with a teres major strain and likely out until September. Ryne Nelson (elbow) just moved to the 60-day IL on Thursday. Michael Soroka (glute) is on the 15-day IL. Blake Walston hasn't seen competitive innings since spring. Cabrera was called up after 3 Triple-A starts and walked into this mess. He handled his debut better than anyone had a right to expect, but now he's back on the road against a team that's been mashing.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Jose Cabrera
(0-2)·5.60 ERA
Jun 21 vs Twins
ND
5.0IP
0ER
3K
0BB
62P
06/27 Lineup
Tampa Bay Rays
Cole Sulser
(1-0)·5.40 ERA
Apr 15 @ White Sox
ND
2.0IP
0ER
1K
1BB
36P
06/27 Lineup
Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
(41-40)
Jun 26L@ Rays1-6
Jun 25P@ Cardinals0-0
Jun 24W@ Cardinals9-4
Jun 23W@ Cardinals4-3
Jun 22L@ Cardinals2-3
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
(46-33)
Jun 26Wvs Diamondbacks6-1
Jun 25Wvs Royals13-2
Jun 24Wvs Royals5-3
Jun 23Lvs Royals5-12
Jun 22Lvs Royals1-2

Tampa Bay at 46-33 is one of the better teams in the American League, and right now they're rolling. After getting knocked around by Kansas City — including a 12-5 beatdown — the Rays reeled off 3 straight wins, capped by a 13-2 demolition of the Royals on June 25 and Friday's 6-1 win over Arizona. They outscored opponents by 18 runs over those 3 games. They're playing at home. They have momentum. The matchup couldn't set up much cleaner for them.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
(14)
  • Day-To-DayA.J. Vukovich (CF) — no05/25
  • Day-To-DayDerek Law (RP) — no05/21
  • Day-To-DayKyle Amendt (RP) — Amendt was invited to major-league spring training by the Diamondbacks, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.05/08
  • 10-Day-ILJordan Lawlar (LF) — The Diamondbacks placed Lawlar on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a right hamstring strain.06/20
  • 10-Day-ILJames McCann (C) — McCann (quadriceps) is expected to begin playing in complex league games next week, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.06/15
  • 15-Day-ILMichael Soroka (SP) — The Diamondbacks placed Soroka on the 15-day injured list Saturday due to a strained left glute.06/20
  • developmental listJuan Centeno (C) — The Diamondbacks re-assigned Centeno to minor-league camp Friday.06/16
  • 60-Day-ILRyne Nelson (SP) — The Diamondbacks transferred Nelson (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.06/25
  • 60-Day-ILA.J. Puk (RP) — Arizona is shutting down Puk (elbow) for another four weeks due to a capsule strain and he will also undergo another MRI in four weeks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.06/19
  • 60-Day-ILCorbin Burnes (SP) — Manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that Burnes (elbow) has been shut down from throwing after suffering a teres major strain, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.06/03
  • 60-Day-ILCristian Mena (RP) — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday that Mena underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.06/01
  • 60-Day-ILBlake Walston (SP) — Walston (elbow) paused his rehab program earlier in the season, but he was expected to start building back up around the middle of May, MLB.com reports.06/01
  • 60-Day-ILJustin Martinez (RP) — Martinez (elbow) tossed a bullpen session Friday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.05/09
  • 60-Day-ILAndrew Saalfrank (RP) — Saalfrank (shoulder) said Wednesday that he expects to be sidelined 10-16 months, Arizona Sports reports.05/08
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
(14)
  • Day-To-DayTre' Morgan (1B) — no06/25
  • Day-To-DayLogan Davidson (1B) — Davidson signed a minor-league contract with Tampa Bay on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.06/25
  • Day-To-DayAustin Vernon (RP) — The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.05/08
  • Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga (RP) — no05/08
  • 10-Day-ILJake Fraley (RF) — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Fraley (hernia) will require surgery and will face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.05/18
  • developmental listLuis Guerrero (RP) — The Rays acquired Guerrero from the Red Sox on Tuesday in exchange for Tristan Gray.06/25
  • 15-Day-ILSteven Matz (SP) — The Rays placed Matz on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a left ankle sprain.06/25
  • 15-Day-ILJesse Scholtens (RP) — Scholtens was charged with a blown save and dropped to 5-3 on the season in Monday's 9-7 loss to the Orioles in 13 innings after yielding five runs (three earned) on four hits across 1.1 frames. He struck out one batter.05/27
  • 60-Day-ILEdwin Uceta (RP) — Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Uceta (shoulder) will resume his throwing program sometime around June 29, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.06/19
  • 60-Day-ILManuel Rodriguez (RP) — Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Rodriguez (elbow) will begin throwing live batting practice June 30, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.06/19
  • 60-Day-ILGavin Lux (LF) — Lux (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment June 29, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.06/19
  • 60-Day-ILJonathan Heasley (RP) — Heasley was returned to the major-league roster and placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow stress reaction.06/08
  • 60-Day-ILSteven Wilson (RP) — The Rays hope Wilson (back) will be able to start bullpen sessions June 8, MLB.com reports.05/30
  • 60-Day-ILRyan Pepiot (SP) — Pepiot will undergo surgery on his right hip May 13 and miss the rest of the 2026 season, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.05/08

Jordan Lawlar is also out for Arizona (hamstring), which chips away further at their lineup depth. The Diamondbacks are 41-40 — credit to them for treading water through all this — but there's only so far grit takes you when your rotation is a MASH unit and your bullpen is already stretched. Cabrera showed legitimate stuff in his debut, and the Rays are running a bullpen game themselves with Sulser opening, so this isn't a total mismatch in pitching. But Tampa Bay's offense has been in a different gear lately, and the D-backs' margin for error at this point is basically zero.

Sources

MLBArizona DiamondbacksTampa Bay RaysPolymarketKalshiJose CabreraCole Sulser