The first game of the day Wednesday is a series finale between the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays from St. Petersburg. There probably won’t be more than 5,000 fans in attendance on a beautiful summer day in that terrible stadium. The MLB odds are in flux until the Rays name their starting pitcher.
How to Bet Athletics vs Rays MLB Odds & Game Info
- When: Wednesday, 12:10 PM ET
- Where: Tropicana Field
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Brett Anderson/TBA
- TV: MLB Network
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: RRN
- MLB Odds: TBA
Why Bet on Oakland?
On Monday, Oakland’s Marcus Semien was named AL Player of the Week for last week. He’s a first-time winner. Overall, he posted a .419 average with two homers, two doubles, nine RBIs and a 1.148 OPS. Semien is the second A’s player to earn the AL Player of the Week Award this season, as Mike Fiers got the nod after throwing a no-hitter on May 7.
A’s utility man Mark Canha doesn’t get the opportunity to start every day, but when he’s in the lineup, he’s very productive. Canha, 30, has hit 10 home runs in just 109 at-bats this season. That rate of a home run every 10.9 at-bats is tied for fourth-best in the AL among players with at least 100 plate appearances. He ranks ahead of top sluggers like Mike Trout, Alex Bregman, and Edwin Encarnacion, just to name a few. While Canha’s batting average is only .239, his .366 on-base percentage leads the A’s, as does his .550 slugging percentage.
The A’s are 14-6 (.700) in games in which the opponent starts a left-handed pitcher compared to 19-28 (.413) against right-handers. The mark against lefties is second best in the majors to Houston (15-5). The A’s are batting .281 with a .858 OPS against left-handed pitchers compared to .236 with a .718 OPS against right-handers.
It’s lefty Brett Anderson (6-4) on the mound. Anderson allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five over 6.1 innings in Friday’s no-decision against the Rangers. Anderson’s offense provided him with an early 2-0 advantage, but he’d surrender three runs in the sixth inning and gave up the lead prior to exiting. He fired 67 of 92 pitches for strikes and threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of the 28 batters he faced, so he certainly pounded the strike zone.
Even though he was unable to emerge victoriously, the 31-year-old lefty continues to look solid on the season and now owns a 3.98 ERA with 39 punchouts across 72.1 innings. Anderson has pitched well of late, allowing three earned runs or fewer in each of his past four starts. He is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in four career starts against the Rays.
Team Stats
Offense
- Runs: 4.87
- Hits: 8.44
- Walks: 3.29
- Strike Outs: 7.93
Defense
- Runs: 4.59
- Hits: 8.34
- Walks: 3.47
- Strike Outs: 7.91
Why Bet on Tampa Bay?
As happens at least a few times a week, we don’t know whom the Rays will use as their “opener” on Wednesday. They currently have just three legitimate healthy starting pitchers. One is Blake Snell, who pitched and won Sunday in Boston. A second is Charlie Morton, who won Game 1 against Oakland. Morton allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings. Je’s given up more than three earned runs just once all season and is 8-0 with a 2.10 ERA. The third is Ryan Yarbrough, who starts Thursday against the Angels.
The fourth is Tyler Glasnow, but he’s on the injured list. Glasnow will soon advance to throwing from 90 feet. He has been playing catch from 75 feet on a daily basis for the last week, and he’s about ready to ramp up his rehab. The right-hander said this week that his recovery is “coming along according to schedule.” He’s on the 60-day injured list with a forearm strain and probably won’t return to the Rays’ rotation before mid-July.
Ryne Stanek opened on Tuesday and Jalen Beeks served as the Rays’ bulk reliever in Tuesday’s game against the Athletics, so it won’t be either of those guys Wednesday. The traditional starters used by the Rays this season have a 2.70 this season. The openers have a 1.62 ERA and have yielded multiple runs only once.
The Rays own the majors’ best record in games decided by 3 runs or more (30-10), ahead of the Twins (28-12). However, they are 10-14 in games decided by 2 runs or fewer and 4-8 in 1-run games (1-6 at home, 3-2 on the road), the second-worst mark in the majors. In their losses, they have allowed the go-ahead run in the 8th inning or later nine times and the 9th inning or later seven times.
Brandon Lowe’s 14 homers are tied for 4th for a Rays rookie over an entire season behind Evan Longoria (27) in 2008, Jonny Gomes (21) in 2005 and Steven Souza Jr. (16) in 2015. It ranks 3rd for a Rays rookie before the All-Star break behind Longoria (16) and Souza Jr. (15).
Team Stats
Offense
- Runs: 4.74
- Hits: 9.05
- Walks: 3.50
- Strike Outs: 9.52
Defense
- Runs: 3.24
- Hits: 7.21
- Walks: 2.88
- Strike Outs: 9.59
Athletics vs Rays MLB Betting Trends
- Athletics are 4-9 in Anderson’s last 13 road starts
- Rays are 4-1 in their last 5 home games vs. a left-handed starter
- Athletics are 11-4 SU in their last 15 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Oakland’s last 10 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
- Rays are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games this season
Expert Final Score Prediction for Athletics vs Rays
Oakland Athletics 4 – Tampa Bay Rays 5
