The Tampa Bay Rays are playing some of the best baseball in MLB right now. The same cannot be said for the Athletics.
The Rays went 17-10 in June. Their red-hot offense launched them into the mix for the AL East with the Yankees and Blue Jays. Fueled by hot hitters like Jonathan Aranda, Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero, the Rays look like a dangerous team. As usual, their pitching is quite good, and they are on the path for a playoff appearance.
On May 13, the Athletics beat the Dodgers to move to 22-20. Since then, they are 14-32. It was fun for a while, but now they’re back to where everyone expected them to be. If this keeps up, the Athletics may end up losing 100 games. It’s a dire time.
The Tampa Bay Rays enter the game as -200 favorites on the moneyline. The over/under is set at 9 runs on DraftKings Sportsbook. Let’s dig into the prediction, preview and pick for this contest.
Athletics at Rays prediction, preview
It’s bad enough that the Rays have a superior offense to the Athletics and a higher-quality bullpen. This pitching matchup really tilts things in Tampa Bay’s favor.
Mitch Spence, typically a bulk innings reliever, has been thrust into a starter’s role. After a solid first few starts, things are starting to come undone. He’s given up 11 hits, five walks and six earned runs over 9.2 innings in his last two turns. That doesn’t bode well for a pitcher due to face the buzzsaw Rays lineup.
Tampa Bay sends Ryan Pepiot to the mound. The owner of a 3.31 ERA over 53 career starts, it’s been another strong season for the 27-year-old. The Athletics have been very up and down at the plate this year. Though they have been swinging the bat well recently, Pepiot should be able to limit enough damage for the Rays to pick up a win in this one.
Athletics at Rays pick, best bet
Over 9 Total Runs (-105)
With the way Tampa Bay has been going, it could clear this mark all by itself. If Spence continues to struggle, the Rays should put up crooked numbers in this one. But I suspect they’ll have some help in this one.
Like I said, the Athletics have been hitting well over the past few games. Pepiot’s numbers indicate a bit of regression is coming. He’s given up a lot of hard contact with an average exit velocity of 90.2, a 31st percentile mark in the league. If the A’s can pitch in with the run scoring in this one, we have an easy over.
