Saturday, July 23, 2016
O.co Coliseum
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Drew Smyly vs. Kendall Graveman
The Tampa Bay Rays visit O.co Coliseum on Saturday to play the Oakland Athletics. The probable starters are Drew Smyly for the Rays and Kendall Graveman for the Athletics. The opening line for this matchup has Tampa Bay at +104 and Oakland at -114. The over/under was set at 8. The Rays have a 41-47-7 over/under record and a 40-55-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 42% of the time. The Athletics are 51-45-0 against the run line and have a 47-45-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.
The Rays head into this matchup with a 38-57 record, including 19-27 on the road. Starting pitcher Drew Smyly has a 2-11 record with an earned run average of 5.64 and a WHIP of 1.36. He has 111 strikeouts over his 105.1 innings pitched and he has given up 114 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.52. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.62 and they have given up 290 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .265 against the bullpen while being struck out 253 times and walking 100 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 8.98 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.56 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.47. The Rays pitchers have collectively given up 834 base hits and 415 earned runs. They have allowed 123 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 285 batters and struck out 795. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.26.
As a team, Tampa Bay is batting .242, good for 26th in the league while putting together a .254 average away from home. The Rays hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309 which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 25th in baseball with 8.16 hits per game. Logan Forsythe comes into this game hitting .282 and his on-base percentage is at .344. He has 75 hits this season along with 40 runs scored and 25 runs batted in. He's struck out 64 times and has walked 21 times. Evan Longoria is hitting .290 and he has an on-base percentage of .337. He has totaled 108 hits so far while scoring 51 runs and he's driven in 55. He has walked 27 times and has struck out 89 times. The Rays have 775 hits, including 164 doubles and 126 home runs. They've stolen 32 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 22 times. Tampa Bay has walked 278 times this season and they've struck out 858 times as a unit. They've left 634 men on base and have a team OPS of .733. They score 4.05 runs per contest and have scored a total of 385 runs so far this year.
Oakland comes into this matchup with a 21-29 home record and a 42-54 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.25, Kendall Graveman has a 6-6 record and a 1.41 WHIP. He has 66 strikeouts over the 101.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 111 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 4.17 and they have given up 325 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .248 against the Athletics bullpen while being struck out 313 times and walking 111 times this season. As a team, Oakland has allowed 9.46 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.63 batters per nine. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.73. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 894 base knocks and 447 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 112 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Oakland as a staff has walked 307 hitters and struck out 721. 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 .250, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .242 average at home. The Athletics hold a .398 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .306 which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 17th in baseball with 8.52 hits per contest. Danny Valencia comes into this matchup batting .301 and he has an OBP of .351. He has 83 hits this year along with 42 runs scored and 34 RBI. He's struck out 66 times and has walked on 20 occasions. Jed Lowrie is hitting .277 and he has an OBP of .330. He has collected 82 hits so far while he's scored 26 runs and drove in 25. He has earned a walk 24 times and has punched out 56 times. The Athletics as a unit have 818 base hits, including 153 doubles and 99 homers. They have 40 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 14 times. Oakland as a team has walked 246 times this year and they have struck out 654 times. They've had 608 men left on base and have an OPS of .704. They score 4.12 runs per game and have totaled 396 runs so far this season.
Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends
The Tampa Bay Rays are 41-47-7 against the over/under so far this season
The Tampa Bay Rays are 40-55-0 against the run line so far this season
Oakland Athletics Betting Trends
The Oakland Athletics are 47-45-4 against the over/under so far this season
The Oakland Athletics are 51-45-0 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
Tampa Bay Rays
07/22/16 1B Logan Morrison Forearm "?" Friday vs. Oakland Athletics
07/22/16 2B Steve Pearce Hamstring probable Friday vs. Oakland Athletics
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
07/21/16 P Rich Hill Finger expected to miss next scheduled start Sunday vs. Tampa Bay Rays
07/20/16 P Andrew Triggs Shin 15-day DL (7/18)
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