Diamondbacks vs Rays Preview: Pitching Duel Nearing Turnaround

The Tampa Bay Rays are on fire at Tropicana Field. They just beat Arizona twice in a row—winning 6-1 and 4-2. The Rays are 46-33 overall and 29-12 at home. That's a dangerous team in their own house. Arizona comes in at 41-40, hoping to steal a win on the road. The Diamondbacks just lost their last game. Now they need to bounce back against a Rays team that feels unstoppable right now. This is the perfect chance to prove Arizona can compete.

Merrill Kelly takes the mound for Arizona. The veteran pitcher is in a tough stretch. His ERA sits at 7.33, and he's given up a lot of hits. Tampa Bay will counter with Drew Rasmussen, who is having a fantastic season. Rasmussen posted an incredible 1.15 ERA and was just named to his first All-Star game. He's locked in and ready to dominate. Kelly needs a sharp performance to keep the Rays' hitters quiet. If he can do that, Arizona stays in this game.

Watch out for the Rays' power. In the last two games, they've crushed home runs—Caminero went deep twice, Aranda and Mullins both launched shots out of the park. These are hitters who come through when it matters. The Rays scored 10 runs across those two wins. Arizona's Marte did hit a monster home run in yesterday's loss. That shows the Diamondbacks can swing hard too. But right now, the Rays' bats are hotter. Someone on Tampa has to keep delivering those big hits today.