The Tampa Bay Rays aren’t making things easy for their big market rivals in the American League East division, but they have been slowing down of late. Will they find their footing again when they go on a four-game series against fellow small-market ball club in the form of the Oakland Athletics? The Rays are +160 to win the AL East, while the A’s are +2200 to win the AL West.
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Game by Game Betting Preview for the Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Regular-Season Series Running from June 20-23 2019
Where: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland
When:
Game 1 Thursday, June 20, 10:07 PM EST
Game 2 Friday, June 21, 10:07 PM EST
Game 3 Saturday, June 22, 4:07 PM EST
Game 4 Sunday, June 23, 4:07 PM EST
Line: Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
GAME 1
Starters: Charlie Morton (8-1, 2.37 ERA) vs. Frankie Montas (9-2, 2.85 ERA)
Pitching:
After tossing 14 straight scoreless innings over two starts, Morton finally got damaged in a 5-3 loss at home against the Los Angeles Angels on Jun. 15, allowing four earned runs on five hits in six innings of action. Morton is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA over his first three starts this June. Montas got another win, his third in a row when he tossed six innings of two-run ball on six hits in six innings of an 11-2 home win over the Seattle Mariners on Jun. 15. He’s gone 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his first three starts this month.
Hitting
Avisail Garcia is currently hitting .303 on the road with seven doubles and four homers.
Marcus Semien is 5-for-11 in career vs. Morton.
Prediction: Rays win, 4-2.
GAME 2
Starters: Ryan Stanek (0-1, 2.45 ERA) vs. Tanner Anderson (0-1, 3.27 ERA)
Pitching:
Stanek is likely going to be used as the opener by the Rays in the second game of this series. Stanek allowed zero runs but surrendered a hit and issued a walk in 1.1 innings of a 6-5 home win over the Halos on Jun. 16. He has a 5.17 ERA in 13 road appearances this season. Anderson lasted 5.1 innings in his second start of the season on Jun. 16, allowing two earned runs on three hits in a 6-3 home loss to the Mariners.
Hitting
The Rays are fifth in the majors with a .262 batting average as of this writing.
Athletics hitters have a collective career batting average of .261 against Stanek.
Prediction: Rays win, 5-3.
GAME 3
Starters: TBA vs. Mike Fiers (6-3, 4.63 ERA)
Pitching:
Fiers got his second straight of the month when he allowed just two earned runs on three hits in six innings of a 4-3 victory on the road against the Rays on Jun. 11. Fiers, who had a no-hitter last May against the Cincinnati Reds, is 4-2 with a 3.60 ERA over his first seven home starts of the season. The Rays’ bullpen is one of the best in the majors, ranking second overall with a 3.41 ERA to go with a 3.79 FIP.
Hitting
Avisail Garcia is 4-for-8 in career vs. Fiers.
Stephen Piscotty is batting .328 at home as of this writing.
Prediction: Athletics win, 5-3.
GAME 4
Starters: Ryan Yarbrough (5-3, 5.59 ERA) vs. Brett Anderson (6-4, 3.89 ERA)
Pitching:
Yarbrough got tagged for five earned runs on five hits in six innings of a 5-3 home loss to the Angels on Jun. 13. Prior to that, he handled the Boston Red Sox well, allowing just an earned run on four hits in 7.2 innings of a 9-2 win at Fenway Park. Anderson faced the Rays on Jun. 12 at Tropicana Field and allowed two earned runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings of duty on the mound, but received a no-decision in a 6-2 victory.
Hitting
Tommy Pham is 3-for-3 in career vs. Anderson.
Matt Chapman is 2-for-4 in career vs.Yarbrough.
Prediction: Athletics win, 6-3.
Writer’s Overall Series Prediction
The series ends in a 2-2 split between the Rays and the A’s.
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