Oakland Athletics vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Pick & Prediction 5/28/24
Tampa Bay comes into this AL matchup vs. the Athletics, who are 4th in the AL West with a record of 22-33. The Rays are 4th in the AL East and have gone 26-28 overall. Zack Littell will start for the Rays, while the Athletics are sending Mitch Spence to the mound.
The money line odds have the Rays at -166 compared to the Athletics at +139. Tuesday’s over/under line is at 7.5 runs, and this one is being televised by NSPCA.
TAMPA BAY RAYS VS OAKLAND ATHLETICS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline -166
This game will be played at Tropicana Field at 6:50 ET on Tuesday, May 28th.
HOW TO BET THE ATHLETICS VS RAYS:
- We have the Rays winning by a score of 5 to 4
- However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Athletics to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
Athletics Records & Stats
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 couldn’t get much going offensively after their 1st-inning run, and Max Schuemann’s solo homer in the 3rd was their only other score. Shea Langeliers went 1/3 with a homer and scored the team’s other run.
Oakland is on the road today, taking on the Rays with an overall record of 22-33, putting them seven games behind the Mariners for the AL West lead. So far, they have really struggled against other AL West teams, going 5-12. The Athletics lost two of three in their series vs. the Astros, and they are just 3-7 over their last 10 games.
At home, the Athletics are 13-16 this year and just 9-17 on the road. This season, the Athletics have really struggled in night games, going 9-21. As the underdog, the Athletics are 16-31 this year compared to 6-2 as the favorite. Oakland’s overall series record is 7-9-1, and they are 7-9-1 in series record.
The Athletics have a run line record of 25-30 overall, and they have gone 12-14 on the run line on the road. They have been a run line underdog in 47 of their 49 games, and they are 23-24 in those games. Their average run differential in their wins is +3.1, while it is -4.0 in their losses.
The Oakland Athletics have played to an over/under record of 26-27 this season, with a combined run average of 8.6 runs per game. When the over/under line has been set at 7.5 runs, they have gone over in 8 of 17 games. Overall, their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs per game, and 63.6% of their games have had higher lines than 7.5 runs. Their last two games have gone under the total.
Right-hander Mitch Spence is getting the start for the Athletics today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made two starts this year and 13 total appearances. Spence’s record for the season is 3-2, and he has an ERA of 4.09. Opponents have hit .237 off Spence this year, and his WHIP is currently 1.27. In his last outing, Spence finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in three innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight outings. Per nine innings, Spence has 8.18 strikeouts and 3 walks.
Heading into today’s game, the Athletics are 3rd in the league in home runs, but they are batting just .223 as a team, which is 24th in the league. Overall, they are averaging 3.7 runs per game, and their on-base percentage of .296 is also near the bottom of the league. As a team, they are striking out 9 times per game.
Abraham Toro comes into the game with a batting average of .278 and has gone deep five times this season. Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers are tied for the team lead in homers, with 11 apiece. Rooker is also batting .286 and is 11th in the league with 34 RBIs. JJ Bleday is 3rd on the team with 22 RBIs but has struggled of late, going just 5/26 in his last six games.
Rays Records & Stats
The Rays closed out their series vs. the Royals with a 4-1 win. Tampa Bay was the slight favorite at -125 on the money line. It was a big 7th inning for the Rays, as they scored four runs in the inning to take the lead. Tampa Bay’s offense was carried by Harold Ramirez, who went 2/4 with three RBIs.
Taj Bradley got the start for the Rays, going five innings, and didn’t give up a run. He only had one strikeout in the outing and got the win.
Tampa Bay is 4th in the AL East with a record of 26-28, putting them 10.5 games behind the Yankees for the division lead. The Rays lost two of three in their most recent series vs. the Royals. Currently, they are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
At home, the Rays are 15-17 this season compared to an 11-11 mark 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 win big. Their average run differential in wins is +2.4, but when they lose, they lose by an average of -3.9 runs per game. Overall, Tampa Bay is 23-31 against the run line this season, including an 11-21 mark at home. They’re 12-10 vs. the run line on the road and 12-8 as underdogs.
When the Tampa Bay Rays play at home, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, and they have a 9-4 record in games with that line. Their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game, and their over/under record for the season is 28-25. Overall, 72.2% of their games have had higher lines than 7.5 runs.
Tampa Bay is sending Zack Littell to the mound today vs. the Athletics, and he has made 10 starts this year. Littell’s record for the season is 2-2, and he has an ERA of 3.42. So far, he has made three quality starts and 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 only issued one walk in that outing. Overall, he has been solid at home, coming in with a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 3.35.
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot in the Rays lineup this season, as he is batting .301 and has a team-high nine home runs. Over his last eight games, Paredes has gone 8/28 with three runs scored 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 averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and slugging percentage. Overall, their team OPS of .662 is 24th in the league. Collectively, the Rays have been hitting .235, which is 15th in the MLB.