It has been a tough July for the two Florida teams. Both started off strong, but the Rays have fallen out of first in the AL East and the Marlins have fallen well off the pace in the NL East. Probable starter Alcantara for the Marlins has pitched well but is still 1-3 in his last five starts. In July specifically he is 0-3 with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. He also has an overall record of 2-5 on the road with a 4.91 ERA.

Eflin has been outstanding (apart from a 3 inning, 5 earned run outing at KC recently) with a 10-1 home record which includes 7 innings of shutout pitching vs. the Orioles in their most recent series for first place that led to the Rays’ only win in the series. His ERA for July has been a respectable 3.68 (despite that disastous outing at KC) and his WHIP has been excellent at 0.82.

Both teams have been in the middle of the pack in the last 15 days at the plate although this season the Rays have a positive run differential vs. RH starters and at home while the Marlins are negative vs RH starters and on the road. And the Rays have one outstanding stat at the plate as they have the 6th best OPS in the majors at home.

The clincher comes when you realize that the Rays are 9-1 in the last 10 games head-to-head with the Marlins. Take the Rays in this battle of Florida.