Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Preview
The over/under line for Tuesday’s Athletics vs. Rays matchup is at 7.5 runs, with the Rays being favored on the money line (-166). Oakland is +139 on the money line, and they are 4th in the AL West with a record of 22-33. Tampa Bay is 4th in the AL East at 26-28.
First pitch from Tropicana Field is set for 6:50 PM ET, and NSPCA will be televising this AL matchup. Mitch Spence is starting for the Athletics, while the Rays are sending Zack Littell to the the mound.
Check out BetCoco for Tampa Bay Rays – Oakland Athletics odds
Tampa Bay Rays Trends and Key Stats
- The Athletics are 0-5 across their last five road games. They have gone 0-5 vs. the runline.
- In the Rays’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 4-1 (SU) with 4-1 against the spread.
- The Rays have a straight-up record of 5-5 in their last ten games as the favorite, and a 5-5 record vs. the runline.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Athletics have a 2-8 straight-up record and a 3-7 record vs. the runline.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Prediction
The Athletics wrapped up their series vs. the Astros with a 5-2 loss. Oakland was the +144 underdog at home going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Athletics, as they got on the board with a run in the 1st inning but gave up the lead right away as the Astros scored five times in the 4th.
Oakland started Aaron Brooks, and he took the loss, going 4 1/3 innings and giving up nine hits and five earned runs. The Athletics also wasted a big game from Max Schuemann, who homered in the 1st inning, going 2/3.
The Athletics are on the road today vs. the Rays, and they are 22-33 overall, putting them 4th in the AL West. Oakland trails the Mariners by seven games in the division and went just 5-12 in AL West matchups. The Athletics lost two of three in their most recent series vs. the Astros.
So far, the Athletics have really struggled in night games, going 9-21. They are 9-17 as the road underdog this year and have dropped eight straight on the road overall. As the favorite, the Athletics are 6-2 this year, and they are 13-16 at home.
When the Athletics are on the road, they have a losing run line record of 12-14, and they have failed to cover the run line in five straight road games. As the underdog, they are 23-24 against the run line this season.
When the Oakland Athletics are on the road, the over/under line is typically set at 8 runs per game. However, today’s line is set at 7.5 runs, which is lower than their average line. The over/under record for the Athletics this season is 26-27, and their games have averaged a combined 8.6 runs per game. Currently, they are on a two-game under streak.
Oakland is sending Mitch Spence to the mound today, and he comes in with a record of 3-2 and an ERA of 4.09. So far, he has made 13 appearances and two starts. Spence’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.27. The right-hander most recently started on May 22nd, where he finished with a no-decision, going three innings and giving up two earned runs on four hits. In that outing, he gave up one homer. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight appearances. Per nine innings, Spence is averaging 8.18 strikeouts and 3 walks.
As a team, the Athletics are batting just .223 this season, which is 24th in the league. However, they do have the 3rd most home runs in the league and have the 5th best isolated power mark in the league. Overall, they are averaging 3.7 runs per game, which is 27th in the MLB. At home, they have been a bit better, averaging 4.5 runs per contest.
Over his last six games, JJ Bleday has gone just 5/26, but three of those hits have been home runs. For the season, he is batting .240 with eight homers. Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers are tied for the team lead with 11 homers, with Rooker’s 34 RBIs leading the team and Langeliers’ 27 RBIs being the 2nd best mark on the team.
The Rays’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Royals, closing out their series with a 4-1 win. After allowing one run to the Royals in the top of the first, the Rays responded with three runs of their own. Tampa Bay went on to add another run in the 7th inning, closing things out with a 4-1 win. Heading into the game, the Rays were the slight favorite at -125 on the money line.
Taj Bradley put together a good start for the Rays, going five innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just three walks and struck out six. Harold Ramirez was hot at the plate, going 2/4 with a run scored. The Rays’s big inning was the 3rd, and Brandon Lowe drove in three runs with a single.
The Rays come into today’s game vs. the Athletics with an overall record of 26-28, which puts them 4th in the AL East. Currently, they trail the Yankees by 10.5 games for the AL East lead. Tampa Bay lost two of three to the Royals in their most recent series.
At home, the Rays are 15-17 this season compared to 11-11 on the road. So far, they have gone 16-18 as the favorite and 10-10 as the underdog. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 7-8-2, and they have dropped two straight series.
When betting the run line with the Rays, it’s been more profitable to take them on the road than at home. They are 12-10 vs. the run line on the road, compared to 11-21 at home. They are 11-23 vs. the run line as the favorite and 12-8 as the underdog. Their average run margin is -0.9 runs per game, but it’s significantly better in their wins (2.4) than in their losses (-3.9).
When the Tampa Bay Rays play at home, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, and their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season. The over/under record for Rays games is 28-25, and their games have had an average line of 8 runs. When the line is set at 7.5 runs, the over/under record is 9-4. Overall, 39 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs, which is 72.2% of their games. Only two games have had lower lines than 7.5 runs, which is 3.7% of their games.
Right-hander Zack Littell is getting the start for the Rays today as he faces off against the Athletics at home. He has made 10 starts this year and has a record of 2-2 with a 3.42 ERA. Littell’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.25, and opponents are batting .270 off him this year. Littell’s last outing came against the Red Sox, where he finished with a no-decision after giving up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. He didn’t give up a homer in that outing, but he had given up a homer in three straight starts before that.
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot for the Rays this season, as he is batting .301 with a team-high nine home runs. Paredes has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/28 in his last eight games with a home run and five RBIs. Randy Arozarena is 2nd on the team with eight homers but is batting just .156 for the season.
As a team, the Rays are batting just .235 and are 23rd in the league in scoring at 4 runs per game. Their team OPS of .662 is also just 24th in the league. Overall, they are just 18th in home runs and have been below average in terms of drawing walks.
Our prediction for this Athletics vs. Rays matchup is to take the Rays to win at home, and we see them coming away with a 5-4 win. However, with the Rays being -166 on the money line, we actually like the over at 7.5 runs. You can get the over at -122, and we have this game going over by a run and a half.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Zack Littell is projected to finish with five strikeouts compared to Mitch Spence with five as well. However, we have Littell going 3.2 innings and Spence going 4.1 innings.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Betting Tips
- Take the Rays on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Athletics (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Zach Eflin | Out | Back |
| Josh Lowe | Out | Side |
| Wander Franco | Out | Personal |
| Drew Rasmussen | Out | Arm |
| Taylor Walls | Out | Hip |
| Jeffrey Springs | Out | Elbow |
| Colin Poche | Out | Back |
| Shane McClanahan | Out | Elbow |
| Jacob Waguespack | Out | Shoulder |
Oakland Athletics Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Wood | Out | Shoulder |
| Trevor Gott | Out | Elbow |
| Sean Newcomb | Out | Knee |
| Aledmys Díaz | Out | Calf |
| Ross Stripling | Out | Elbow |
| Paul Blackburn | Out | Foot |
| Austin Adams | Questionable | Neck |
| Freddy Tarnok | Out | Hip |
| Esteury Ruiz | Out | Wrist |
| Luis Medina | Out | Knee |
| Darell Hernaiz | Out | Ankle |
| Joe Boyle | Out | Back |
| Ken Waldichuk | Out | Arm |
