The Oakland Athletics (22-33) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (26-28) on Tuesday, May 28th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on NSPCA. The Rays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Athletics are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Astros. First pitch is set for 6:50 ET.
Athletics vs Rays
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 went 2/3 with a homer, scoring only one run.
Oakland is seven games below .500 at 22-33 as they take on the Rays today. The Athletics are 4th in the AL West, seven games behind the Mariners for the division lead. So far, they have really struggled against other AL West teams, going 5-12 this year.
At home, the Athletics have gone 13-16 compared to 9-17 on the road. This season, the Athletics are just 9-21 in night games. As the underdog, the Athletics are 16-31 this year, and they have dropped eight straight as the road underdog. Oakland’s overall series record is 7-9-1, and they lost their most recent series vs. the Astros.
When the Athletics win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.1 runs per game. But when they lose, they lose big, with an average run margin of -4.0 runs per game. Their overall run line record is 25-30, and they are 12-14 against the run line on the road, where they have a scoring margin of -1.8 runs per game. As the underdog, they are 23-24 against the run line.
When the Oakland Athletics play on the road, the over/under line is set at an average of 8 runs per game. This season, the over/under record for Oakland is 26-27, and their games have averaged 8.6 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, Oakland’s record is 8-9. Overall, 63.6% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, and their current under streak is at 2 games.
Mitch Spence Gets The Start For The Athletics
Mitch Spence gets the start for the Athletics today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made two starts and 13 appearances this season, coming in with a record of 3-2 and ERA of 4.09. Spence’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.27. The right-hander most recently pitched on May 22nd, where he finished with a no-decision after going three innings and giving up two earned runs on four hits. In that outing, he gave up one home run. Before that, he had given up a homer in two straight appearances.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Athletics are 3rd in home runs but are batting just .223 as a team, which is 24th in the league. As a team, they are averaging only 3.7 runs per game and have been even worse on the road, averaging just 2.9 runs per contest. However, they have been much better at home, averaging 4.5 runs per game.
JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers are tied for the team lead in home runs with 11, but Bleday is coming off a stretch in which he went 5/26. Abraham Toro has been a nice surprise for the Athletics this season, as he is batting .278 with five homers. Brent Rooker is also a player to watch, as his 34 RBIs are 11th in the league.
Heading into their last game vs. the Royals, the Rays closed out the series with a 4-1 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -125 on the money line. It was a big 4th inning that turned things in their favor, as the Rays scored four runs in the inning. Tampa Bay’s offense was carried by Harold Ramirez, who went 2/4 with a run scored.
Taj Bradley got the start for the Rays, going five innings, and didn’t give up a run. He also issued just three walks and struck out six. Garrett Cleavinger picked up the win out of the bullpen, and Pete Fairbanks got the save.
Tampa Bay is 26-28 overall, putting them 4th in the AL East. Currently, they trail the Yankees by 10.5 games for the AL East lead. The Rays lost two of three in their series vs. the Royals.
At home, the Rays are 15-17 this year 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 the Rays win, they do so by an average of 2.4 runs per game, but when they lose, it’s by an average of 3.9 runs. They have a run line record of 23-31, and they are 11-21 against the run line at home. As the underdog, they are 12-8 against the run line, compared to 11-23 as the favorite. Their overall run differential is -0.9, which is the same at home and on the road.
The Tampa Bay Rays are at home today against the Oakland Athletics, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.8 runs per game. The Rays’ over/under record for the season is 28-25, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 7.5 runs this season, the over has hit in 9 of their 13 games. Overall, 72.2% of their games this season have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.
Zack Littell Gets The Start For The Rays
Zack Littell gets the start for the Rays today and comes into the game with a record of 2-2 and ERA of 3.42. So far this season, he has made 10 starts and three of them have been quality starts. Littell’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.25, and he is averaging 8.95 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Littell finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. He was able to get the win in the outing before that, where he gave up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Isaac Paredes has been the Rays’ best hitter so far this season, batting .301 with a team-high nine home runs. He has also been hot of late, going 8/28 in his last eight games with one homer and five RBIs. Randy Arozarena is 2nd on the team with eight homers but is batting just .156 this season.
Overall, the Rays are 23rd in the league in scoring at 4 runs per game. They are also near the bottom of the league in team OPS, slugging percentage, and isolated power. As a team, they are batting just .235.
Athletics vs Rays Prediction
We like the Rays to pick up a win in this one, and with the money line payout being -166, we see the better value coming on the over/under line. You can get the over at 7.5 runs, and we have this one ending with a score of 5-4 in favor of the Rays.
If you’re looking for some home run props, the Rays are projected to hit four home runs, which has them as the fourth-best team in terms of home runs today. The Athletics are actually projected to have the third-best home run output, and they are projected to finish with eight strikeouts compared to the Rays with nine.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:May 28, 2024 Athletics, Rays