Rays Look to Rebound Against Athletics at Home
Athletics vs Rays Runline Favors Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Rays have been among baseball’s biggest disappointments, sitting two games under .500 at the unofficial quarter mark of the MLB season. Injuries and underperformance have the Rays sitting fourth place in the American League East, only 2.0 games out of the basement.
Next up is a three-game series at home against the Oakland Athletics. Tuesday’s opener at Tropicana Field is a 6:50 p.m. ET first pitch.
- Tampa Bay is -1.5 (+140) on the runline and -166 on the moneyline for the opener, with Oakland +140 to win outright.
Meanwhile, the projected total is 7.5, with a slight edge to the Over at -120. Bettors can get the Under at +100.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down both MLB teams and assess the Athletics vs Rays runline odds in our MLB series preview.
Athletics vs Rays 
Day/Time:
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Streaming: NBCSCA
Athletics vs Rays Betting Trends
The Oakland Athletics are 25-30 against the run line, including just 1-9 over their last 10 games. The Athletics have been slightly more profitable for Over/Under bettors, going 26-26-3.
The Tampa Bay Rays, meanwhile, are 23-31 against the run line, including only 1-6 over their last seven MLB games. Like Oakland, they’ve performed better against the Over/Under with a mark of 28-25-1.
That is important to remember when assessing the Athletics vs Rays runline.
Down and Almost Out
Expectations for Oakland were low. Really low. And quite frankly, they still are.
While they were surprisingly punchy early, going 17-17 over their first 34 games, the Athletics have reverted back to their losing ways in recent weeks. They had an eight-game losing streak between May 12-19 and are just 3-7 over their last 10 games.
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The result? A 22-33 record, fourth place in the American League West.
Projected for an MLB-worst 57.5 wins, the Athletics are on pace to beat expectations. But big picture, that’s only a small consolation.
The Athletics are still +2500 longshots to make the AL playoffs, even in the expanded wild card. Los Angeles (+2200) and Chicago (OTB) are the only other teams in the AL with longer than 20/1 odds.
Oakland has displayed impressive power, slugging the third-most home runs among MLB stat leaders with 68. Outfielder Brent Rooker and catcher Shea Langeliers are tied for the team lead with 11 homers apiece, followed by outfielder JJ Bleday with eight. In all, five different Athletics have hit at least five homers.
Despite that, the Athletics are just 24th in runs scored. They averaged 4.3 runs per game during their recent six-game homestand against the Rockies and Astros.
Even if Oakland heats up again and turns around its season, there’s very little upside from a betting perspective. A midseason fire sale seems like the likeliest outcome for this oft-struggling franchise.
Barely Treading Water
Tampa Bay is off to an underwhelming start at 26-28. There’s still plenty of time to turn things around, but the Rays will need more production from their most-proven bats.
That includes outfielder Randy Arozarena (.156 AVG, .566 OPS) and reigning AL batting champion Yandy Diaz (.249 AVG, .670 OPS).
The latter has heated up a bit in May, slashing .286/.350/.440. However, he’s still got a ways to go to match last year’s production.
Projected for 85.5 wins, the Rays are fourth in the AL East MLB standings. They should remain in playoff contention thanks to the expanded wild card, but overcoming the Yankees and Orioles atop the division will be tough. Both look like legitimate World Series contenders.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has +7000 MLB World Series odds. It is one of 18 teams priced 70/1, along with St. Louis.
The Rays are just 1-5 on their current nine-game homestand. They snapped their season-high six-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over Kansas City on Sunday.
Brandon Lowe’s pinch-hit three-run triple made the difference in a four-run seventh inning.
With a minus-47 run differential, more regression could be in store for Tampa Bay. Only the White Sox (-116) and Athletics (-63) have been outscored by more runs in the AL.
Series Probables
âš¾ Game 1 âš¾
- Tuesday, 6:50 p.m. ET
- TBD vs Zack Littell
Mitch Spence, the first overall pick of the 2023 Rule 5 draft, was originally scheduled to start. Spence made his first Major League start on May 17 against Kansas City.
He threw 4.2 innings, allowing five hits and one run. He has a 4.09 ERA on the season.
The Rays will counter with Littell, who is 2-2 with a 3.45 ERA. The 28-year-old right-hander has shown quality swing-and-miss stuff, striking out 55 in 55.1 innings. He matched his season-high with seven strikeouts in his last outing, a 5-2 loss to Boston on May 21.
Be sure to remember this when betting on the Athletics vs Rays runline.
âš¾ Game 2 âš¾
- Wednesday, 6:50 p.m. ET
- Joey Estes vs TBD
This will be Estes’ fourth start since being called up from Triple-A Las Vegas in early May. The 22-year-old right-hander has an unsightly 7.47 ERA, though he was better in his last start.
He went seven innings against Colorado on Thursday, allowing four runs while striking out six.
The Rays have yet to name a starter opposite him.
âš¾ Game 3 âš¾
- Thursday, 1:10 p.m. ET
- TBD vs TBD
Ross Stripling was slated to start for Oakland, but plans have changed. The veteran right-hander was placed on the 15-day MLB injured list Saturday with a strained right elbow, the severity of which is unknown. He has struggled this season, going 1-9 with a 5.82 ERA and 1.60 WHIP.
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