Braves vs. Rays: Game 2, prediction, odds, injuries and picks

Braves vs. Rays: Game 2, prediction, odds, injuries and picks - April 12, MLB 2025

Modified Apr 12, 2025 12:59 GMT

MLB: Atlanta Braves at Tampa Bay Rays - Source: Imagn — Atlanta Braves at Tampa Bay Rays (Imagn)

The ailing Atlanta Braves dropped Game 1 of their three-game series against the Rays in Tampa Bay. The home team ran circles around the visitors as they claimed a 6-3 victory thanks to a combination of pitching and offensive firepower.

Atlanta, who are still without the services of vital cogs such as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider, have lost all eight road games this year. As as result, the team are in one of its worst starts in history.

For the Rays, the Game 1 victory over Atlanta garnered them their sixth win of the year. Taj Bradley earned his second victory in three starts after a solid six inning outing wherein he produced six quality innings having given up just a run on five base hits with two walks and seven punchouts. It was a consolidated effort as Christopher Morel delivered on offense with three hits that included a home run.

Braves vs Rays recent form and records

Atlanta is an abysmal 0-for-8 away from home this year. With the absence of its starts, the team is currently in the bottom half of the league in terms of pitching and hitting.

The Rays, on the other hand, have maintained its position in the top half of the league when it comes to batting statistics while maintaining its patented pitching-focused ethos.

Players to watch

Starting pitchers

ATL: AJ Smith-Shawver (0-2, 5.19 ERA), TB: Drew Rasmussen (1-0, 0.90 ERA)

Tampa Bay Rays

Rays starter Drew Rasmussen has been impressive in two starts this year. The 29-year-old currently owns a stellar 0.90 ERA and has only given up one earned run across 10 innings pitched.

Must-watch Hitters

Atlanta Braves

Marcell Ozuna has been one of the few bright lights in an otherwise stuggling Atlanta offense. The designated hitter has compiled three home runs and two doubles with eight RBIs on 13 base hits. He's batting .317/.509/.585 with an OPS of 1.094 in 2025.

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Braves vs Rays baseball betting odds

Saturday, 4/12	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
ATL	+131	+1.5, -164	O 8.5, -123
TB	-143	-1.5, +133	U 8.5, +100

Braves vs Rays expert picks and game prediction

Given the current state of both squads, the Rays certainly have the advantage heading into Game 2. The pitching matchup is a tale of two halves as the struggling AJ Smith-Shawver goes toe-to-toe against Drew Rasmussen.

The Rays is just in better shape and the better squad on both sides of the ball. Expect a comfortable victory for the home squad.

Run Line: -1.5, +133

Total Runs: U 8.5, +100

Prediction: TB win, 5-2

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