Oakland A’s at Tampa Bay Rays Preview
Written May 18, 2009 by Steve Janus
The Tampa Bay Rays host the Oakland A’s tonight and both teams could use a win. The A’s have dropped 3 straight games and 5 of their last 7 overall. They are just 5-11 on the road this year and 4-6 at Tampa Bay over the past 3 seasons. The Rays have won 3 games in a row, but are only 19-20 on the season and are currently 6.5 games out of first in the AL East, behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays, as well as the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. It’s officially not to early to start worrying about wins, as it looks like this will shape up to be a close race between these four teams all season long. Let’s see how the Rays match up with the A’s tonight. Monday’s MLB odds show the Rays -135 against Oakland with a total set for 9.5 runs.
Starting Pitching: The A’s start Sean Gallagher, who has pitched a total of 12 innings this year, but who has started in just one game this season, in which he lasted just 5 innings, giving up 10 hits and three earned runs, striking out 3 batters. Gallager has pitched twice in his career against the Rays, both starts came last season, and while he does have a career ERA of 2.70 against them, the A’s lost in both of those starts. Jeff Niemann starts for Tampa Bay, and he has had a rough start to the 2009 season. He’s started 7 games this year, earning a 3-3 record with a 5.35 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP. He’s also failed to win in two starts at home this year, giving up a total of 7 earned runs in just 9 innings pitched in Tampa Bay this year. I’m also concerned about his last 3 starts overall in which he is 1-1 with a 7.15 ERA and a WHIP of over 2.47. It’s really hard to give an edge to either team in this category, but I guess the A’s have a small advantage with Gallagher over Niemann.
Hitting: Oakland has not hit well this year as a team. They’ve managed only a .238 team batting average, resulting in just 4.4 runs per game. As I mentioned before, they are just 5-11 on the season in road games, probably because their run output drops all the way down to 4.1 runs per game when they are the visitor, one of the worst marks in the American League. The Rays started the 2009 rather slowly offensively, but they have come around, particularly at home where they are hitting nearly .270 as a team and scoring close to 6 runs per game. There is a clear advantage here and it goes to the Rays.
Bullpen: Oakland’s bullpen has shown modest success this season, earning a 3.35 ERA as a unit and a 6-6 record overall. They’ve converted 7 of their 10 save opportunities this year, but their biggest problem seems to be getting themselves in those save opportunity situations. Tampa’s bullpen has been solid as well, earning a 4.07 collective ERA and a 3-4 record. They have converted 78.6% of their save attempts this year (11 of 14), including 5 of six attempts in Tampa. The Rays seem to have the advantage here, meaning if they can get up in the early innings, their pen should be able to close the door.
Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -135 at 5DIMES
The Rays are hot, and starting to play much better baseball at home. Oakland is one of baseball’s worst road teams and the A’s are coming off of 3 straight losses (all on the road, by the way). I’ll take the Rays to get the job done at a decent price for the defending AL Champs.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- MLB Picks: Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland A’s
- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox Preview
- MLB Odds & Picks: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox
- Baseball Picks: Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners
- Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners Picks & Predictions
Got something to say?
- Betting on Baseball
- Baseball Betting Lines
- World Series Odds
- Understanding MLB Run Lines
- Baseball Money Lines Explained
- Baseball Betting Forum
- MLB Gambling
- Baseball Sportsbooks
- How to Bet Baseball
- Dime Line Sportsbooks
- World Series Betting
No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!