Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics Prediction: Can Joey Estes, A's Limit Rays Early?
The Oakland Athletics will look to shut down the Tampa Bay Rays once again after a shutout last night. Can Joey Estes keep the Rays at bay in the second matchup? Matt McCuen provides his prediction and pick for Rays vs. Athletics.
Matt McCuen - August 20, 2024, 3:28 PM EDT
5 minTampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics Prediction: Can Joey Estes, A's Limit Rays Early?
The Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland Athletics will meet for game two of this American League series tonight.
The season has been up and down for Tampa to this point, and they roll into the contest with a .500 record of 62-62.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics Date, Time and Where to Watch
- Date: August 20, 2024
- Time: 9:40 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB Extra Innings
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics Prediction
The Rays will need to pull a rabbit out of a hat if they want to reach the postseason.
The playoffs have featured the Rays for five consecutive years.
Tampa Bay trails the final wildcard spot in the AL by seven games.
The Rays are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
Brandon Lowe has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Lowe has ripped 10 home runs since July 1st.
Jose Caballero has enjoyed a solid season with eight home runs and 34 runs batted in.
Yandy Diaz leads the Rays with 125 hits on the campaign.
Oakland will attempt to stay hot tonight.
Over their last 10 games, the Athletics are 7-3.
The hot streak has improved the As record to 54-71.
While the A's will not be a playoff team, there are reasons to be optimistic about their future.
One of those sources of optimism is All-Star outfielder Brent Rooker.
Rooker leads the team with 29 home runs and 83 runs batted in.
Lawrence Butler has been solid this year for the A's, with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs in 91 games.
JJ Bleday has added 16 home runs and 47 runs batted in. Bleday set the tone last night with a two-run homer in the first inning.
Joey Estes will toe the rubber tonight. Estes is 5-5 with a 4.72 ERA.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics Betting Pick
We cashed in yesterday, improving our NRFI of the day record to 51-29.
I am all over this NRFI tonight.
The Rays have struggled to produce runs early, ranking 20th in runs per game in the first innings (0.47).
Oakland has been even worse, ranking 22nd in first-inning runs (0.45).
Both Baz and Estes have good enough stuff to power through the first inning tonight.
Pick: A's/Rays NRFI -120 Click here to see which sportsbooks have the best odds for this pick
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics System Projections - August 20th
MLB Odds
