The Oakland Athletics (18-50) host the Tampa Bay Rays (48-21) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Tuesday. The Athletics took Monday’s series opener 4-3, their sixth straight victory overall and first in four games against the Rays this season.
Starter James Kaprielian went six innings for the win, allowing three runs on five hits, and Ken Waldichuk pitched three scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season. Jace Peterson went 2 for 3 with one run in the win. Luke Raley was 2 for 3 with one run for the Rays.
ON THE MOUND
Jalen Beeks (2-3, 6.12 ERA) is in line to get the start for Tampa Bay. The southpaw allowed two runs in two innings of relief in his last appearance, an 8-4 road defeat against the Rangers on Saturday. He gave up three hits while striking out two.
Beeks is making his first appearance against the Athletics this season. Beeks made one appearance against the Athletics in 2022, a 6-3 home loss on April 14. He held Oakland scoreless over two no-hit innings, striking out three.
For Oakland, LHP Hogan Harris (1-0, 6.46 ERA) gets the ball. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Rays. In his last start on Wednesday, Harris got the win on the road against the Pirates. He threw five innings and gave up three runs on four hits, striking out two and walking three in the 9-5 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Tampa Bay has averaged 5.2 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 5.7. Against lefties like Harris this season, the Rays have a .900 OPS, second highest in MLB.
Wander Franco is the team’s best performer against left-handers with a 1.018 OPS in 49 at-bats. Oakland is averaging 5.6 runs per game in the last five, up from 3.7 for the season, with a better slash line (.256/.358/.384).
The A’s have a .699 OPS against left-handers in 2023. With a 1.020 OPS over 55 at-bats, Brent Rooker has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Tampa Bay is 17-14 on the road in 2023, scoring 5.5 runs per game while allowing 3.9 runs. Oakland has gone 8-24 at home this season, averaging 3.2 runs per game while surrendering 6.2.
Tampa Bay is 6-4 in the last 10 games between the teams at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with an average scoreline of 4.5-3.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Rays lead the AL East by five games over the Orioles. The Athletics are fifth in the AL West, 24 games behind the Rangers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
TB Rays -1.5 (-135)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
