Tampa Bay Rays vs Seattle Mariners Pick – 8/8/2025
We are in for a very good pitching matchup on Friday night when the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Both starting pitchers in this game are well above average and offense could be hard to come by when these teams open their three-game series in the Pacific Northwest. Before the action begins on Friday night, you can keep reading to get my thoughts in this game, including my Rays vs Mariners prediction.
Our Rays vs Mariners Pick
- Pick: Seattle Mariners to win
- Confidence: 3/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Seattle Mariners vs Tampa Bay Rays
- Date & Time: Friday, August 8, 2025, 9:40 p.m. ET
- Starting Pitchers:
- Mariners – Luis Castillo (8‑6, 3.22 ERA)
- Rays – Drew Rasmussen (9‑5, 2.81 ERA)
- Stadium: T‑Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
- Broadcast: ROOT Sports NW (Mariners), FDS‑SUN (Rays)
Key Storylines
Pitching matchup
Both starters come into this game having strong years. Tampa’s Drew Rasmussen has been excellent with a 2.81 ERA through 105.2 innings. Rasmussen has won his last two starts going into this game. Luis Castillo brings a solid 3.22 ERA over 131.1 innings for the Mariners. He had a 2.05 ERA in July and is looking to turn his August into just as strong a month.
Key Players
- Mariners: Cal Raleigh leads MLB with 42 home runs and also ranks third in RBI with 90. Josh Naylor hits .289 and Eugenio Suárez has also driven in 90 runs.
- Rays: Junior Caminero leads the team with 30 home runs and 76 RBI following a multi-hit performance in Tampa’s latest win.
Recent team streaks
- The Rays have won two games in a row coming into this series opener in Seattle.
- Seattle is on a four-game winning streak and they have fought to within 1.5 games of the Houston Astros in the AL West standings.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Cal Raleigh | Over 0.5 Home Runs |
| Junior Caminero | Over 0.5 Home Runs |
| Drew Rasmussen | Under 5.5 Strikeouts |
Betting Trends & H2H
- This is the first meeting between these teams this season.
- The Rays and Mariners will play six times between this game and their final meeting in September.
- The Mariners have averaged 6.25 runs per game during their current four-game winning streak.
- Tampa is 25-29 on the road for the year.
- Seattle is 34-25 at home this season.
Rays vs Mariners Model Projection
Score Projection: Mariners 5 – Rays 4
Win Probability: Mariners 53%, Rays 47%
Final Thoughts
I think this game will be a little more high-scoring than anticipated, especially as the bullpens get involved later on. My best bet for this contest is for the Seattle Mariners to pick up the win at home. Seattle did a nice job of adding power bats to their lineup at the trade deadline. This is no longer a lineup that has to rely on the power of Cal Raleigh to get instant offense. I think we see Seattle get to Rasmussen early and hold on for the win late.
