Thursday, July 21, 2016
O.co Coliseum
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Matt Moore vs. Sonny Gray
The Tampa Bay Rays visit O.co Coliseum on Thursday to play the Oakland Athletics. The probable starters are Matt Moore for the Rays and Sonny Gray for the Athletics. The opening line for this matchup has Tampa Bay at +126 and Oakland at -136. The over/under was set at 8. The Rays have a 39-47-7 over/under record and a 38-55-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 41% of the time. The Athletics are 51-43-0 against the run line and have a 46-44-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.
The Rays head into this matchup with a 36-57 record, including 17-27 on the road. Starting pitcher Matt Moore has a 5-7 record with an earned run average of 4.33 and a WHIP of 1.30. He has 98 strikeouts over his 116.1 innings pitched and he has given up 117 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.59. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.67 and they have given up 285 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .265 against the bullpen while being struck out 247 times and walking 99 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 9.04 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.50. The Rays pitchers have collectively given up 821 base hits and 409 earned runs. They have allowed 122 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 280 batters and struck out 772. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.35 and their FIP as a unit is 4.30.
As a team, Tampa Bay is batting .239, good for 27th in the league while putting together a .250 average away from home. The Rays hold a .422 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 26th in baseball with 8.05 hits per game. Logan Forsythe comes into this game hitting .276 and his on-base percentage is at .338. He has 71 hits this season along with 37 runs scored and 23 runs batted in. He's struck out 61 times and has walked 21 times. Evan Longoria is hitting .290 and he has an on-base percentage of .338. He has totaled 105 hits so far while scoring 50 runs and he's driven in 53. He has walked 27 times and has struck out 86 times. The Rays have 749 hits, including 159 doubles and 124 home runs. They've stolen 32 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 22 times. Tampa Bay has walked 274 times this season and they've struck out 841 times as a unit. They've left 622 men on base and have a team OPS of .729. They score 3.95 runs per contest and have scored a total of 367 runs so far this year.
Oakland comes into this matchup with a 21-27 home record and a 42-52 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.12, Sonny Gray has a 4-8 record and a 1.48 WHIP. He has 74 strikeouts over the 96.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 105 hits. He has allowed 9.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.61. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.16 and they have given up 319 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the Athletics bullpen while being struck out 306 times and walking 108 times this season. As a team, Oakland has allowed 9.45 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.68. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 874 base knocks and 433 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 110 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Oakland as a staff has walked 299 hitters and struck out 703. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.41 while their FIP as a staff is 4.37.
As a team, they are batting .253, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .246 average at home. The Athletics hold a .402 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .308 which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 17th in baseball with 8.61 hits per contest. Danny Valencia comes into this matchup batting .298 and he has an OBP of .349. He has 81 hits this year along with 41 runs scored and 34 RBI. He's struck out 65 times and has walked on 20 occasions. Jed Lowrie is hitting .280 and he has an OBP of .331. He has collected 82 hits so far while he's scored 26 runs and drove in 25. He has earned a walk 23 times and has punched out 56 times. The Athletics as a unit have 809 base hits, including 152 doubles and 98 homers. They have 40 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 14 times. Oakland as a team has walked 242 times this year and they have struck out 638 times. They've had 597 men left on base and have an OPS of .709. They score 4.18 runs per game and have totaled 393 runs so far this season.
Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends
The Tampa Bay Rays are 39-47-7 against the over/under so far this season
The Tampa Bay Rays are 38-55-0 against the run line so far this season
Oakland Athletics Betting Trends
The Oakland Athletics are 46-44-4 against the over/under so far this season
The Oakland Athletics are 51-43-0 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
Tampa Bay Rays
07/04/16 LF Desmond Jennings Hamstring 15-day DL (7/1)
06/21/16 CF Mike Mahtook Hand 15-day DL (6/21)
06/02/16 P Brad Boxberger Oblique 15-day DL (6/1)
04/10/16 P Chase Whitley Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Alex Cobb Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
Oakland Athletics
07/20/16 P Andrew Triggs Shin 15-day DL (7/18)
07/17/16 P Rich Hill Finger left last start, "?" next start
07/04/16 P Fernando Rodriguez Shoulder 15-day DL (7/4)
07/03/16 C Josh Phegley Knee 15-day DL (7/2)
07/01/16 P Sean Doolittle Shoulder 15-day DL (6/26)
05/11/16 P Chris Bassitt Elbow 60-day DL (4/28); out for season
05/11/16 LF Mark Canha Back 60-day DL (5/9), out for season
04/10/16 P Henderson Alvarez Shoulder 60-day DL (4/6)
04/05/16 P Felix Doubront Elbow 60-day DL (4/4); out for season
04/03/16 2B Eric Sogard Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 CF Sam Fuld Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Jarrod Parker Elbow 60-day DL (3/13), out for season
03/31/16 P R.J. Alvarez Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
Guy's Pick: Take the Rays
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Read more articles by Guy Bruhn
Get all of Today's Free MLB Picks
Get all of Today's Expert MLB Picks