The Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays travel to play each other this week in a fascinating NL vs AL East interleague series. Both teams have had a promising start to the 2020 season, enjoying strong returns over opening weekend – but only one can end July with a winning record. Follow our guide for details of how to watch a Braves vs Mets live stream and catch the MLB series online in full this July.
Braves vs Rays cheat sheet
TV coverage: FSSE (Atlanta Braves) and Fox Sports Sun (Tampa Bay Rays)
Game 1 – Monday, July 27 at 6.40pm ET / 3.40pm PT
Game 2 – Tuesday, July 28 at 6.40pm ET / 3.40pm PT
Game 3 – Wednesday, July 29 at 7.10pm ET / 4.10pm PT
Game 4 – Thursday, July 30 at 7.10pm ET / 4.10pm PT
The Braves started off the shortened 60-game 2020 MLB season with a three game series against the Mets in New York. While the team lost the first game 1-0, Atlanta turned things around with a win on Saturday and then shellacked the Mets 14-1 on Sunday to earn their series win of the season. The Braves remain on the road when they travel to Tampa for the first half of a four game series against the Rays, in which pitcher Mike Foltynewicz is expected to make his first appearance this season.
Similarly, while the Rays may have lost their home opener against Toronto last Friday, they defeated the Blue Jays on Saturday and Sunday to carry a winning record into the first full week of the season. This week, the Rays host the Braves before travelling to Georgia for the final two games of this split-city series.
So whether you’re a Braves fan in Atlanta, a Rays fan in Tampa, or just a baseball fan looking to catch all the action at Tropicana Field and Truist Park this week, we’ll show you how to watch the Braves vs Rays online today and get an MLB live stream from anywhere on earth.
How to watch the Braves vs Rays from outside your country
If you’re in the US tonight, then getting an Braves vs Rays live stream is only easy if you’re based in either the Atlanta or Tampa areas – and have cable TV. If this is the case, you’ll find coverage of the game on local TV, complete with the option to stream online via the channel’s website.
Anyone without cable might run into more difficulty, however, as the most useful overall baseball streaming service –MLB.TV – is designed for out-of-market viewing, meaning coverage is blacked out for anyone who lives in the same area as their team.
Fortunately, a solution exists in the form of a VPN – a handy bit of software that lets you re-route your device’s IP address to a location of your choice, thereby giving you the ability to circumvent these outdated blackout restrictions.
A Virtual Private Network can also come in handy when you’re out of the US and geo-blocking stops you from watching the same services and content you normally would at home – even when you pay for them. This makes a VPN an essential bit of equipment for your digital bat bag – but which one should you swing for?
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Don’t forget that a VPN isn’t just for baseball, either There’s loads you can do with these clever bits of software. From unblocking restricted sites and watching Netflix in other countries, to adding an extra layer of security for online shopping and banking, Virtual Private Networks offer loads of benefits beyond watching the Braves vs Rays tonight.
Braves vs Rays live stream: how to watch the MLB series online in the US
This week’s Braves vs Rays series hasn’t been selected for national television, so you’ll need to turn to your local sports broadcaster for in-market viewing if you want to watch these games.
In Atlanta and throughout the southern US, this means Fox Sports Southeast or FSSE, which is available to watch online with cable TV (just log-in with the details from your cable provider after clicking Watch and then Live TV at the top right of the page). For those in Tampa and throughout the rest of Florida, these games will be broadcast on Fox Sports Sun and you can also watch them online with cable TV or stream them.
Or, you could stream via an over-the-top service.
Two of the most popular OTT offerings around carry both FSSE and Fox Sports Sun – Hulu with Live TV ($54.99 p/m) and YouTube TV ($64.99 p/m). Of these, YouTube TV is your best bet and easily worth the extra 10 bucks a month, as in addition to FSSE and Fox Sports Sun you also get all four cable channels that show nationally televised games: ESPN, Fox Sports, TBS and MLB Network.
The out-of-market option is the excellent MLB.TV, which will let you watch every game of the MLB season online for a one-off payment of $59.99 (or $49.99 for a single team). But there’s a huge catch in that all of its streaming is subject to local blackouts, so Braves and Rays fans in Atlanta and Tampa won’t be able to watch this week’s games – unless they use a VPN as per our guide above.
Here are all of your over-the-top options in full. All prices are per month, based on the package or combination of packages that gets you access to the most MLB games.
- Sling TV $55 – All the cable channels a baseball fan needs to watch the biggest games in one place. A combined Sling Blue and Orange package for $45 covers ESPN, TBS and Fox Sports, while $10 adds Sports Extra and MLB Network (plus NHL Network, NBA TV, beIN Sports, ESPN U, Tennis Channel and more). On balance, our favorite option and you can try a FREE Sling TV trial – but note local coverage is limited.
- YouTube TV $64.99 – The best option after Sling, YouTube TV includes ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, FS1, MLB Network and TBS. Many local networks and regional networks are also covered, six accounts are included in the price, and a free trial is available.
- Hulu $54.99 – A good option, Hulu with Live TV includes ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, FS1 and TBS but does not come with the MLB Network. It does, however, offer local networks in select markets. Free trial offered.
- AT&T TV Now $55 – Another solid offering, AT&T TV Now gets you ESPN, Fox Sports and TBS but, again, not MLB Nework. Local TV coverage is available in select markets. Free trial offered.
- fuboTV $54.99 – Not necessarily worth considering for baseball fans, Unfortunately it does not have ESPN, MLB Network or TBS – though it does offer strong local coverage and offer a free trial.
How to watch the Rays vs Braves: live stream MLB in the UK
BT Sport has the TV rights to MLB action in the UK through 2021 and you’ll find all the channels you need available through one BT’s many TV bundles, or as an add-on for Sky TV and Virgin Media customers.
This week’s Braves vs Rays series will be aired across BT Sport ESPN and BT Sport 1, with all four games being shown. Games 1 and 2 start at 11.40pm BST on Monday and Tuesday; games 3 and 4 will kick-off a bit after midnight (12.10am BST) on Wednesday and Thursday night.
For cord cutters, BT now also offers the option of watching BT Sport without locking yourself into a lengthy contract by way of its £25 Monthly Pass.
It’s also worth noting that MLB.TV is also available in the UK for approximately £50 a month. You get access to the same games and content as US viewers do but you won’t have to worry about blackout rules which will no doubt make it easier to watch baseball this season.
How to watch the Braves vs Rays: live stream MLB in Canada
This week’s Braves vs Rays series isn’t being shown on Canadian TV, so your only option to watch it online is via MLB.TV.
That’s no bad thing, though, as $59.99 will get you live streaming access to nearly every game of the regular season (only the Blue Jays are subject to blackouts in Canada and there’s always the VPN workaround for these) – plus coverage of the playoffs and World Series.
In addition, MLB.TV gives you the option of home or away team commentary, offers companion apps for nearly any modern device, and provides a super-smooth 60fps feed for great picture quality.
Timings of the games are the same as in the US, so a 6.40pm ET / 3.40pm PT start on Monday and Tuesday and a 7.10pm ET / 4.10pm PT kick-off on Wednesday and Thursday.