Sonny Gray (4-2, 1.92 ERA) starts for the Oakland Athletics (15-30) as they square off against Erasmo Ramirez (2-1, 6.44 ERA) and the Tampa Bay Rays (24-20) in the last of a four-game series at Tropicana Field. The Athletics won the last game 5-0 and Tampa Bay leads the series 2-1. Action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 24 and can be seen on CSN-CA and SunSports.
Ramirez is 0-5 with a 4.83 ERA in his appearances against the Athletics, and goes up against a quality Oakland offense which is batting .256 this season. David DeJesus (.330, 13 Rs, 4 HRs, 18 RBIs, 1 SB) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 2. When pitching against the Rays, Gray is 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts. Stephen Vogt (.309, 21 Rs, 10 HRs, 31 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Athletics, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Oakland takes on Tampa Bay as a -131 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The Rays have an overall money line of +448 and a record as the underdog of 12-10. Opposing offenses that come to Tropicana Field have been stifled by the Rays, who have a team ERA of only 3.23 at home. The Rays are the fourth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.16 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Rays, who lead the AL in strikeouts per home game with 9.4.
As for their opponent, Oakland is coming in with an overall money line of -2,153 and a disappointing record of 8-19as the favorite. They played poorly as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 1-5 record, and a 2-8 record SU. Offensively, the Athletics have really sputtered in the last 10 games. They have decreased their season average of 4.2 runs per game by averaging 3.0 during that stretch. The Athletics have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 7.9 strikeouts per road game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Rays lead the season series, 2-1. The Rays have a 19-13 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Gray takes the mound. Ramirez (RHP) will be on the hill against the Athletics, who have a 13-21 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
For the third time this season, the Rays registered at least two errors in a game.
When the Rays play into extra innings, they have a 1-1 record. The Athletics are 0-6 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Athletics are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Rays have a record of 8-11 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Athletics are 13-7. The Rays have a 19-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 18th, Tampa Bay is in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 170 this season. Oakland ranks in the top five at fifth with 192.
Ranking 13th, Tampa Bay is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 132 this season. Oakland ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 143.
When the Rays hit at least one home run, they are 16-11. When the Athletics hit at least one homer, they have a 10-15 record.
