It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Athletics prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Rays-Athletics.
The Tampa Bay Rays aren't completely out of the American League wild card chase, but they're on the periphery of it. With 39 games left in the season, the Rays are 6.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals for the third and final American League wild card berth. They will need to win a lot of games and hope the Royals — who just swept the Cincinnati Reds this past weekend — cool off in the remaining month and a half of the 2024 MLB season. The odds are stacked against them, but 6.5 games on August 19 is hardly the biggest deficit overcome in the final six weeks of the season. Larger deficits have been overcome, but now the Rays have to really turn it on. They did sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks over the past weekend. That was a good start. However, the Rays now need to fly across the country and fight through jet lag and fatigue to sweep the Oakland A's. Going on a West Coast swing in late August invites the possibility that the Rays will hit a wall. Manager Kevin Cash will need to find ways to keep guys fresh, rotate his lineups, and put his team in the best possible position to win. It will be a heavy lift, even against a not-that-great Oakland team which has been well below the .500 mark for most of the season.
Rays-Athletics Projected Starters
Taj Bradley vs. Joe Boyle
Taj Bradley (6-7) has a 3.49 ERA. Bradley has been a very solid and productive pitcher for the Rays, but the problem for Tampa is that it has not hit well for most of the year. The Rays' offense has withered in big moments. That's why Bradley has a losing record in 13 decisions despite having such a good ERA. Put Bradley on the Orioles or Phillies, and he would probably be 9-4 in 13 decisions, maybe 10-3. The simple truth is that Bradley and Tampa's other starters need more help. If they don't get it down the stretch, the Rays will not be in the postseason, and they won't even make it a close call in the final week of the regular season.
Last Start: Monday, August 12 vs the Houston Astros: 4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 HR, 2 BB, 6 K
2024 Road Splits: 7 starts, 38 IP, 37 H, 20 R, 6 HR, 14 BB, 32 K
Joe Boyle (2-5) has a 7.39 ERA. It hasn't been pretty for Boyle, who doesn't have a lot of starts under his belt this season and is being asked to eat innings for a team which sent starter Paul Blackburn to the New York Mets and is once again fielding a very low-dollar roster. The A's want to see Boyle develop in the next several weeks. The A's need more information on which players they can trust and which they might need to unload as they manage their roster for 2025 and beyond. The A's have a penny-pinching owner — it is not admirable how they are operated — but they do need to know what they have. That point stands regardless of what anyone thinks about how they do their business.
Last Start: Tuesday, August 13 vs the New York Mets: 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 HR, 3 BB, 6 K
2024 Home Splits: 4 starts, 13 2/3 IP, 15 H, 14 R, 1 HR, 12 BB, 14 K
Here are the Rays-Athletics MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rays-Athletics Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+114)
Moneyline: -148
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-137)
Moneyline: +126
Over: 8 (-115)
Under: 8 (-105)
How to Watch Rays vs Athletics
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT
TV: Bally Sports Sun (Rays) / NBC Sports California (Athletics) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Rays are a better team, playing for a playoff berth, and they have a clear-cut advantage in the starting pitching matchup. It's a pretty simple case to make for the Rays.
Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win
The A's are not a good team, but the Rays just played a 12-inning game on Sunday and then had to fly from Florida to Oakland for this game. They might be exhausted, giving the A's a great chance to win here.
Final Rays-Athletics Prediction & Pick
The Rays have the talent advantage and the pitching matchup, but they might be fatigued due to travel and a long Sunday game. Pass on this one.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Rays-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Athletics moneyline
Follow Us
Subscribe