Rays vs. Athletics Pick
Can the Tampa Bay Rays stay hot when they take on the Oakland Athletics on the West Coast tonight at 10:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Rays are a slight favorite on the road, as they are getting odds of -110 to win, while the Athletics are getting a money line of +100 to win. The over/under total for the game has been set at 9 runs.
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The pitching matchup tonight has Blake Snell (0-5, 4.85 ERA) on the mound for the Rays to face Chris Smith (0-0, 4.50) of the Athletics. Smith has started just one game, which was a 6-inning effort against the Mariners. He gave up three earned runs with four strikeouts and one walk. Snell is coming off one of his best starts, pitching five scoreless against the Cubs. He has 45 strikeouts this season with 34 walks and a 1.63 WHIP.
Tampa Bay opened the series on Monday with a 3-2 win at Oakland. The Rays have now won four of five meetings with the Athletics this season. Tampa Bay is 50-44 overall and 23-25 on the road while Oakland is 42-51 overall and 27-22 at home.
Tampa Bay got a great pitching outing on Monday, as Jake Odorizzi allowed just one hit over seven innings to get his sixth win of the season. Oakland had just two hits in the loss. Daniel Gossett had a respectable start, allowing three runs in seven innings, but still took his fifth loss. Evan Longoria had his 14th home run of the season and drove in two runs to lead the Rays while Steven Souza Jr. had his 19th home run of the season. In the loss, Khris Davis hit a solo home run for Oakland. It was his 26th home run of the year.
Tampa Bay is on a roll right now. The Rays have won five of their last six, including three on this West Coast trip. The Rays also have owned the Athletics this season. Tampa Bay has the more experienced pitcher on the mound as well. Snell hasn’t had a good year, but is coming off a scoreless effort against the Cubs. That could be the start of an upswing for him that can continue tonight against Oakland.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY RAYS -110