Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Preview
The Athletics and Rays face off in an AL matchup at 6:50 PM ET. This one is being played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, and the Athletics are the slight money line underdogs, paying out +152 compared to the Rays at -183. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.
Joey Estes is going for the Athletics, and he is facing off against Ryan Pepiot. Estes has an ERA of 4.26, while Pepiot has yet to make an appearance in the majors. Oakland is 23-33, and the Rays are 26-29, and both teams are currently in 4th place in their respective divisions. NSPCA is carrying this game on TV.
Check out BetCoco for Tampa Bay Rays – Oakland Athletics odds
Tampa Bay Rays Trends and Key Stats
- The Athletics are 1-4 across their last five road games. They have gone 1-4 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Rays have gone 4-1 (SU) and 4-1 in their previous five home contests.
- As the favorite, the Rays are 4-6 over their last ten games, including going 4-6 vs. the runline.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Athletics have a 3-7 straight-up record and a 3-7 record vs. the runline.
It was all Oakland in the last game of this series, as the A’s took down the Rays by a score of 3-0. The A’s offense only had five hits in the game but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were at +148 on the money line.
Tampa Bay wasted a good outing from Zack Littell, as he gave up just one run in seven innings of work for the Rays. Mitch Spence got the win for the A’s out of the bullpen, going 5 1/3 innings and not giving up a run.
Miguel Andujar hit the game’s only home run while going 1/4 with three RBIs. Abraham Toro also had a two-hit game for Oakland.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Prediction
The Athletics are 23-33 overall and trail the Mariners by seven games in the AL West. So far, they have really struggled against other AL West teams, going just 5-12. Oakland is playing game two of their series vs. the Rays on the road, and they won the series opener.
At home, the Athletics are 13-16 this year, and they are 10-17 on the road. So far, they have really struggled in night games, going 9-21. As the underdog, Oakland is 17-31 this year, compared to 6-2 as the favorite. The team’s overall series record is 7-9-1, and they are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
When betting the Athletics on the run line this season, it’s been a coin flip. They’re 26-30 overall, and they’re 13-14 when playing on the road. They’ve been a better bet as the underdog, going 24-24 against the run line, compared to 2-6 when favored. Their average run differential is -1.1 runs per game, and they’ve been outscored by an average of 1.6 runs per game on the road.
The Oakland Athletics are on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays today. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for their games this season is 8.5 runs, and their over/under record is 26-28. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 7-6-1. So far this season, 21 of their games have had over/under lines set at 8 runs. Their under streak is at 3 games.
Joey Estes and the A’s are on the road to take on the Rays. Estes has had a bit of a roller coaster start to the season, as he picked up a win in his first start, then took a loss, and in his last outing, he went 7 innings but took a no-decision, giving up 4 earned runs. He’s struck out 19 batters in 15 2/3 innings this season.
So far this season, the Athletics offense is averaging just 3.7 runs per game, which is 27th in the league. They have been even worse on the road, averaging only 2.9 runs per contest. However, they have been a much better offensive team at home, averaging 4.5 runs per game. As a team, the Athletics are batting .222, which is 23rd in the league.
Currently, the Athletics have two players tied for the team lead in home runs in Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers, but both players have struggled in terms of batting average. Rooker is batting .280 and has 34 RBIs, while Langeliers is batting just .210. JJ Bleday has also been a big power threat for the team, as his eight homers is 2nd on the team and 10th in the league.
The Rays are two games under .500 at 26-29 and trail the Yankees by 10.5 games in the AL East. So far, they are 9-11 in divisional games. Tampa Bay has dropped seven of their last ten games and have lost two straight series.
At home, the Rays are 15-18 this year compared to an 11-11 mark on the road. As the favorite, Tampa Bay is 16-19 this year and 10-10 as the underdog. So far, their overall series record is 7-8-2.
When the Rays win, they win big, with an average run margin of +2.4 runs per game. When they lose, they lose by an average of -3.9 runs per game. Their overall run line record is 23-32, and they are 11-22 against the run line at home. They are 12-10 against the run line on the road and 12-8 as the underdog.
The Tampa Bay Rays are home against the Oakland Athletics today, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The combined run average in Rays games this season is 8.7 runs per game, and their over/under record is 28-26. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 9-5. Overall, 45.5% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8 or higher, and their current under streak is at 2 games.
Ryan Pepiot gets the start for the Rays today and comes into the game with a record of 3-2 and ERA of 3.98. Looking back at his last outing, Pepiot finished with a no-decision after giving up three earned runs in four innings of work. He has made eight starts this year and has a WHIP of .98. Pepiot has turned in four quality starts this year and is averaging 9.74 strikeouts per nine innings. So far, he has allowed a total of five home runs. The right-hander has been much better on the road, coming in with an ERA of 0.0 compared to 6.66 at home.
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot for the Rays so far this season, as he is batting .296 with a team-high nine home runs. His 29 RBIs are also the best mark on the team. However, Tampa Bay will need Randy Arozarena to pick things up, as he is batting just .159 this season and has gone deep eight times. Arozarena’s 18 RBIs are the 4th best mark on the team.
Overall, the Rays offense has been bad this season, averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 26th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have the 16th best batting average in the league. As a team, they are 24th in slugging percentage and 27th in OPS.
The best way to play the Athletics vs. Rays matchup is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8 runs. We see this one finishing with a score of 6-5 in favor of the Rays, giving us a little bit of wiggle room with the over/under line.
If you’re looking for a money line pick, then the Rays are the way to go. However, at -183, we prefer to take the over and look to take advantage of some of the starting pitcher props.
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 11 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 |
| 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 |
