Odds courtesy of TonyBet.
Athletics vs Rays Odds
The Rays are a heavy -223 moneyline favorite at MLB betting sites. The A’s, meanwhile, sit at +170. The total is set at 8.5 runs, and the Over has cashed in four straight meetings.
Athletics vs Rays Analysis
The Athletics have nothing to play for at this point, but they're certainly not rolling over. Mark Kotsay's group just took two of three from the Seattle Mariners over the weekend, including a thrilling 8-7 walk-off victory in Sunday's series finale. The A's sit at 61-89 on the year, but they've shown some fight down the stretch and will look to play spoiler against one of the American League's best clubs.
Jack Perkins gets the ball for the visitors on Tuesday, and it's been a difficult campaign for the right-hander. Perkins owns a 3-10 record and a 6.50 ERA, struggling to find any sort of consistency at the big-league level. There is swing-and-miss upside in his arsenal, but command has been an issue. He'll now face a red-hot Rays lineup that just exploded for 14 runs and 15 hits in Sunday's win over Houston.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, continues to look like a legitimate World Series contender. The Rays own the best record in the American League at 90-59 and are coming off a three-game sweep of the Astros at Tropicana Field. Kevin Cash's squad has won seven of its last nine games and scored seven or more runs in four of those victories. Sunday's offensive outburst was particularly impressive, with Jonathan Aranda homering twice as Tampa Bay cruised to a 14-4 win.
Griffin Jax will take the mound for the Rays, and the righty is coming off one of his best outings in recent memory. Jax allowed just one earned run on two hits across five innings against the Atlanta Braves last Wednesday, helping Tampa Bay secure a 7-2 victory. It was an encouraging performance after a difficult stretch for Jax, and he'll now get a much more favorable matchup against an Athletics team playing out the final weeks of another disappointing season.
Athletics vs Rays Picks
The Athletics are coming off a solid series against Seattle, but this is a difficult spot against the best team in the American League. Perkins has struggled throughout the campaign, and Tampa Bay's offense is absolutely rolling right now. Jax also looked much sharper in his latest outing, allowing just one run across five innings.
With the Rays playing excellent baseball and still battling for playoff positioning, I like the hosts to take care of business in Tuesday's series opener.
Pick: Rays -1.5 (-110) /TonyBet
