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MLB Picks: Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland A’s

The Rays are coming off a rough 1-0 loss last night. James Shields and Felix “The Cat” Hernandez were dealing all night as the only run came by Ichiro Suzuki, leading off the bottom of the first with a home run. That defeat dropped Tampa to 6-10 on the year. While it is very early, they must not get to far behind in the AL East as Boston, New York and Toronto. Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena have been the only sources of offense for this team. When analyzing this teams success, it comes mostly when Shields and Kazmir are on the mound. Considering they lost last night with James Shields on the mound, it makes this game that much more important for the psyche. Scott Kazmir has gone 2-1 in his first three starts, however, the only reason his record is as good as it is has been his run support as his ERA is 5.40. Tampa needs to wake up. This slide they are on will effect them as the season grows and records start to be looked at closely. With that said, I think they will finally get on track tonight. Kazmir will look to shut down Oakland, and his numbers from last year prove that should be no problem. He went 2-1 in three starts posting a 1.42 ERA against the A’s in 2008. During those three starts, he struck out 23 batters in 19 innings of work while holding the A’s to a .125 BA against. It is clear that this is a different Oakland lineup during the 2009 season. Nonetheless, this is Scotty’s night.  The MLB odds on Friday’s game show the Tampa Bay Rays -132 against the A’s with the total set for 8 runs.

The Oakland A’s are 5-9 on the season as they seem to have come back down to earth. They really revamped their lineup this off season adding one of baseball’s best players in Matt Holliday from Colorado via trade. They brought back Jason Giambi and signed Orlando Cabrera through free agency. So, hitting-wise they are expected to be much more productive from the plate. Pitching is another story. Their current four-game losing streak has put them in a funk.  Over the past two games they have given up a total of 14 runs. As a team Oakland is hitting .232 and they have combined for only four home runs as a team, which over a 14-game span is beyond pitiful. These numbers don’t give high hopes for them against all-star Scott Kazmir tonight. One of the few bright spots for this team has been their rookie phenom, Trevor Cahill. In his first three starts he has gone 0-1 with two no decisions. The only reason he isn’t 3-0 is due to lack of help he has gotten from his teammates. In Trevor’s three starts the A’s have scored a total of five runs. Cahill has a 2.60 ERA this year. I like this kid, I believe he will be successful, just not tonight. Kazmir has pitched below average, he is a pitcher who shows emotion and has tons of pride in his craft. A rookie out-performing him is not on his agenda.

Haimo’s Hot Notes: The Rays are 19-7 in their last 26 Friday games. The OVER is 7-2 in Oakland during the last nine Friday games while the OVER is also 8-3 in the last eleven games when Oakland is the underdog. In the head-to-head match up, Tampa Bay is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings against Oakland. While most of those wins came when they were home, this game means a lot to the Rays and they wont let it slip away. Shields and Kazmir are counted on every time they take the mound. Losing starts back-to -ack for Tampa when they take the mound won’t happen. Kazmir rolls and the offense gets going as well. Expect Oakland to get three or four runs as Tampa will get five minimum.  Read carefully, Picks below.

Jordan’s Picks: Tampa Bay Rays -132 & OVER 8 Runs

Fresh off yet another monster night we look to break the bank again on this gorgeous Friday night evening. We had to sweat out our BEST BET last night with the Dodgers -1.5 (+130) as they won 2-0. So that put another premium play in the win column as the UNDER 7.5 in the Tampa/Seattle game cruised with ease just as expected. I hope everybody was able to cash in on those goods as I smiled wide all night long. My record is beginning to reach major feats as the winning percentage grows daily. With the summer right around the corner, I know I don’t just speak for myself when I say some extra pocket cash wouldn’t hurt. Now, let’s go gobble that up.

Documented MLB Record:

27-11 OVERALL

10-3 BEST BET (Last night’s premium was Dodgers -1.5 +130)

If you are looking to win more when you bet on baseball try some of the other MLB picks from our top rated handicappers.

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