New Ray of doing things

Are the Rays revolutionizing pitching rotations?

The answer could easily be yes. When something is working, it gets copied. Tampa Bay’s switch several weeks ago to a mix of traditional starters and bullpen arms alternating through a series paid immediate dividends. Its staff ERA has been elite ever since.

Some keys to think about as you monitor the Rays-Mets series this weekend at Citi Field:

Offenses are most likely to do damage in the first inning when the lineup is stacked in their favor. An opponent using a quality reliever to throw as hard as he can to get those first three outs lessens the danger. Traditional starters may hold something back because they’re pacing themselves for 100 pitches.

Analytics suggest offenses are most likely to explode mid-game the third time they see a starting pitcher. Using a sequence of relievers means the opposing offense never gets a third look at any pitcher.

Tampa Bay has been on a very profitable run for bettors lately. A 14-8 record the last 22 entering the Mets series works out to 20.0 and 8.7 with money lines because the Rays were big ’dogs so often with lesser-known starters against top contenders.

Do you remember all the media buzz when Sergio Romo started two straight games in Anaheim against the Angels on May 19-20? From that second start forward, Rays games are 12-29-1 to the Under against market totals.

Baseball continues to evolve before our eyes. Sharp bettors can profit by recognizing meaningful changes before oddsmakers do.