Rays vs Athletics Prediction & Best Bet (June 15): Taj Bradley Shines Again

The Tampa Bay Rays have a chance to split their four-game series with the Oakland Athletics if they can seize a victory Thursday. Tampa Bay was victorious less than 24 hours ago, making it interesting to see if it can capitalize on that momentum in today’s Rays vs Athletics series finale.

Sweet dreams, folks! ?#RaysUp pic.twitter.com/po9GyhKNgN

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 15, 2023

Wednesday night saw the Athletics lead 3-1 heading into the top of the fifth inning before the Rays scored five unanswered runs to take home the 6-3 victory. Tampa Bay couldn’t have gotten the job done without first baseman Yandy Diaz, who tallied three hits, two RBIs, and a walk in four at-bats.

Can Tampa Bay get back on track by winning back-to-back outings in Oakland? Or will the Athletics rebound from last night’s loss to win the series?

Here’s a look at everything you know heading into this afternoon’s Rays vs Athletics showdown, from the latest betting odds to a prediction with the best betting recommendation, courtesy of Betting News.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Game Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Tampa Bay Rays (49-22, 18-15 Away) vs. Oakland Athletics (19-51, 9-25 Home)
• Venue & Location: Oakland Coliseum (Oakland, California)
• Date: Thursday, June 51, 2023
• Game Time:3:37 p.m. Eastern Time
• Rays vs Athletics TV Info: MLB Extra Innings, NBC Sports California, Bally Sports South

Rays vs Athletics Game Odds

Game odds as of Thursday, June 15 at 8:45 a.m. ET. Odds from other sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (-128)
• Oakland Athletics +1.5 (+106)

Over/Under

• Over 9 Runs (-102)
• Under 9 Runs (-120)

Moneyline

• Tampa Bay Rays -205
• Oakland Athletics +172

Rays vs Athletics Starting Pitchers

• Rays: Taj Bradley (8 starts — 4-3, 4.19 ERA)
• Athletics: Paul Blackburn (3 starts —0-0, 3.60 ERA)

Rays vs Athletics Betting Trends

• Tampa Bay is 7-2 straight up in its last nine games against Oakland.
• Oakland is 2-13 straight up in its last 15 games against the American League.
• The total has hit the under in five of Tampa Bay’s last six road games.
• The total has hit the under in four of Oakland’s last five home games.
• The total has hit the over in seven of the last 10 Tampa Bay-Oakland matchups.

Rays vs Athletics Game Preview

The Rays are back on track following last night’s impressive victory. Although morale was low following back-to-back losses to open the series, it’s important to point out that both of those games were winnable, proven by Tampa Bay losing by one run in each.

With a chance to split the series this afternoon, I expect the Rays to bring the same energy as they did last night. Not only did they double the Athletics’ runs, but they nearly had twice as many hits as well, winning that battle 13-7. That isn’t too surprising seeing as how Tampa Bay’s 9.33 hits per road game rank second-most in the Majors.

The Rays will attempt to continue producing runs against Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn. The 2022 MLB All-Star had a delayed start to the season due to injury, but has pitched well since his return last month. While he’s yet to receive his first decision of the year, he’s pitched two a 3.60 ERA while striking out 14 batters in 15 innings over three starts.

Paul Blackburn had it all working in Milwaukee ? pic.twitter.com/3ycoFiPewR

— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 10, 2023

The bad news for the A’s is that the Rays are 38-19 straight up against right-handed pitchers. When it comes to facing righties, Tampa Bay also has a .257 batting average (No. 7 in MLB) and paces the Majors with a .791 on-base + slugging percentage.

As for the Rays’ pitching situation, Taj Bradley will make his eighth start of the 2023 campaign. Although the 22-year-old rookie has had his fair share of ups and downs, he’s been sound away from home. Bradley has gone 2-1 in four road starts, playing to a 1.71 ERA while striking out 27 batters over the course of 21 innings.

With the A’s being an abysmal 7-24 against American League righties this season, there’s a good chance that Bradley’s impressive run will continue. It also helps that only the Minnesota Twins have struck out more against right-handed pitchers than Oakland (494).

Before losing the first two games of this series, the Rays had won six straight outings against the Athletics. Tampa Bay isn’t a club that stays down for long and now that it has momentum stemming from last night, I expect Kevin Cash’s team to return to its winning ways.

Rays vs Athletics Prediction and Picks

Rays vs Athletics Prediction: Rays 7, Athletics 3

Rays vs Athletics: Rays -1.5 (Best Value: -128 ) & Taj Bradley — Over 5.5 Strikeouts (Best Value: -136)

With momentum on their side, I predict that the Rays will leave Oakland Coliseum with their second victory in as many days. It’s time for the Athletics to be brought down to earth and, with the way that Bradley has pitched on the road, I see that happening today. Tampa Bay will win this one decisively before turning its attention to the upcoming series against the San Diego Padres.

Another Rays vs Athletics bet that I like is Taj Bradley recording over 5.5 strikeouts at -136 odds. He’s tallied six-plus strikeouts in six of his eight starts thus far — including in three of his four road appearances. As mentioned before, Oakland strikes out often against righties while recording the sixth-most strikeouts per game (9.17) in the MLB.

In other words, it should be a productive day for Bradley on the mound.

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