Rays vs Marlins Preview: Pitching Duel in Week 63

Tampa Bay just dropped a tough one on Saturday. The Marlins scraped together four runs while the Rays scratched out three. Now they're sitting at 37-24 overall but struggling on the road. Here's the thing—Miami's heat and that little ballpark can mess with visiting teams. The Rays are sending Griffin Jax to the mound, but he's had a rough go recently. Tampa Bay's injury list keeps growing too. Still, this team has the pitching depth to battle back. They showed it Friday when they absolutely dominated 6-0. One win flips the whole momentum.

The Marlins are throwing their ace at the Rays. Sandy Alcantara is a former Cy Young Award winner who can still bring absolute heat. When he's locked in, hardly anyone can touch him. He's one of those pitchers you circle on the schedule. Miami's rotation has been hammered by injuries—three starters hit the shelf already this month. But Alcantara gives them hope. He's got that powerful fastball and can pitch deep into games. The Marlins just won their last game, so they're riding some confidence into Sunday. If Alcantara pitches like the ace he is, the Rays face a real battle.

Look back at Friday's game. Richie Palacios tripled hard into center field, driving in two runs right away. Cedric Mullins launched a 397-foot bomb to right-center. Ryan Vilade kept hitting line drives through the infield. That's the kind of offense Tampa Bay needs to repeat. Saturday showed they can score runs—they got three across. But Miami's Pete Fairbanks threw wild pitches that helped Tampa bay. The Marlins' pitching staff is banged up from injuries. This is Tampa's chance to keep pounding the baseball and build on their momentum. Aggressive hitting wins games in June.