In the third of a four-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (24-19) and the Oakland Athletics (24-19) at Tropicana Field, Nathan Karns (3-1, 3.77 ERA) and Drew Pomeranz (2-3, 4.40 ERA) get the ball. The Rays won the last game 5-2 and Tampa Bay leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 4:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 23 and will air on CSN-CA and SunSports.
In his last start, Karns pitched 5.0 innings, allowing two runs, striking out six and walking two in a 3-2 victory over the Yankees. Brandon Guyer (.289, 14 Rs, 2 HRs, 12 RBIs, 5 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run. In his career against the Rays, Pomeranz is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and three strikeouts. Stephen Vogt (.309, 21 Rs, 10 HRs, 31 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well for the Athletics, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Tampa Bay is a -134 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. When playing as the favorite, the Rays have an 11-9 record and overall money line at +348. The Tampa Bay pitching staff has been dominant, only giving up 3.4 runs per game, which is best in the AL. The Rays are second in the league in WHIP at 1.14.
Across the field, the Athletics have a subpar record of 6-10 when they are the underdog and are -2,053 overall with the money line. During the last 10 games, they averaged 3.2 runs per game, below their 4.3 season average. The Oakland pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 7.8 strikeouts per game.
So far this season, the Rays are 2-0 against the Athletics. The Rays will take on a right-hander (Pomeranz) in this game and have a 19-13 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Karns will take the mound against the Athletics, who have a 13-20 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rays are 1-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Athletics are 0-6 in such matchups.
The Athletics are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded five strikeouts. The Rays have a record of 4-3 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 2-19. The Rays have a 3-13 record when opponents outhit them.
Both falling in the top half of the league based on total home runs this season, Tampa Bay ranks 12th with 41 homers and Oakland is 14th with 39.
Ranking 11th, Tampa Bay is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.07 per game. Oakland ranks in the top five at third with 8.98.
Ranking 16th, Tampa Bay is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.706). Oakland ranks in the top half at 15th with an OPS of .708.
When the Athletics allow at least one home run, they are 2-19. When the Rays allow one or more homers, they have a 10-12 record.
