The Rays will begin a 10-game road trip as they travel 2,894 miles to Oakland to take on the Athletics. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Rays-Athletics prediction and pick will be made.
Tampa Bay enters play slightly stumbling of late, with three runs or fewer in six of the past nine games. While this is a bit of a concern, RHP Drew Rasmussen will be eager to give the Rays a sense of relief by shutting down the A's and pitching productively. Rasmussen is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in his four starts on the year.
Oakland has seen itself dip under .500 after being swept by the Cleveland Guardians, a team that had been notably in a funk before squaring off with the Athletics. The A's have dropped six of their last eight games and surrendered 19 runs in their weekend series versus Cleveland. 26-year-old Daulton Jefferies will get the nod to hopefully stop the bleeding, as he is 1-3 with a 3.26 ERA in his previous four outings.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Rays-Athletics odds.
MLB odds: Rays-Athletics Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+114)
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-137)
Over: 6.5 (-124)
Under: 6.5 (+102)
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Why Rays Could Cover The Spread
Yes, the Rays may be in a loaded American League East that has so far provided them with a tough schedule of games, but this should serve as no excuse for a team that had World Series aspirations heading into 2022. On paper, Tampa Bay's roster is as talented as they come, but it has taken them a little bit longer to get adjusted to what the regular season has offered thus far. After going a pedestrian 5-4 on their recent home stand, the Rays will look to gain ground out on the road.
The good news? Look no further than starter Drew Rasmussen, who is coming off a confidence-building start last Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners in which he struck out a career-high nine batters and did not allow a run in the win. Set to make his first appearance ever versus Oakland, the fact that the 26-year-0ld Washington State native pitched so wonderfully has to ease Tampa Bay's anxiety heading into this one.
As a team, the Rays have the fourth-best WHIP in the league at 1.13 and are only letting hitters rake an underwhelming .217 batting average.
Switching gears to the offensive side of things, look for shortstop Wander Franco to continue his strong play, as the future superstar has a team-high 26 hits, including eight doubles to start off his 2022 campaign. The Rays need more production from Brandon Lowe, as although he has a trio of home runs through 83 at-bats, he is only hitting .181 at the plate.
Why Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Athletics entered 2022 with below-average expectations when glancing at their roster, as there seems to be a shortage of talent in comparison to recent teams of the past after trading away some key stars. However, don't let these A's fool you; they are still a capable team that can turn it around and give their opposition more than a few gray hairs.
To start, Oakland needs to give starter Daulton Jeffries a fair shot by providing him with more run support. In his last three starts, Oakland hitters managed to score three runs combined, thus resulting in losses for Jeffries. Regardless, a cushion offensively may not have mattered in his previous outing, as the 26-year-old got rocked by allowing five runs in only four innings pitched against the San Francisco Giants. Jeffries will be seeking a bounce-back performance against a Rays team that is only ranked 17th in total runs scored on the season.
At the plate, Oakland has been even worse statistically than when out on the mound. The Athletics are hitting a poor .211 inside the batter's box, which is the third-worst mark in baseball. They have also struggled to get on base with a .277 mark, also among the bottom five teams in the sport. While this is a trend that cannot continue if they want to endure success as the season progresses, by no means does this mean that Oakland is incapable of covering the spread against Tampa Bay on Monday evening.
How about fellow infielder Sheldon Neuse so far this year? The 27-year-old has been one of Oakland's most productive hitters, as he is raking .328, which leads all A's batsmen.
With Neuse paving the way in average and reaching base at a high level, this has left catcher Sean Murphy to bring it home. One of the best hitting backstops the game has to offer, Murphy is leading the club with four home runs and 14 RBI despite only bashing .210 through his team-high 81 at-bats.
Final Rays-Athletics Prediction & Pick
With Rasmussen showing what he is capable of in his previous start, can he do it again? Indeed he can. The Rays hurler should face an easier challenge against a lackluster A's lineup. Tampa Bay starts off a 10-game road trip with a much-needed victory.
Final Rays-Athletics Pick: Rays -1.5 (+114)
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