Athletics vs Rays Picks and Predictions: Oakland Runs Into Trouble at the Trop

The Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays face off in the third game of a four-game set at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night.

The first two contests between these teams featured plenty of runs but oddsmakers are expecting a lower-scoring matchup tonight with MLB betting lines hitting the board with an Over/Under of 7.5.

Here are our best free MLB betting picks and predictions for A's versus Rays on April 13, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.

Editor's note: Ontario! Welcome to the world of regulated sports betting. Visit our Ontario sports betting page for the best legal betting sites available to you and all the information you need about this emerging industry.

Athletics vs Rays odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

This line opened with the Rays installed at -175 with the Over/Under at 7.5. Early money has come in on Tampa Bay, shifting the line to -200 while the total has stayed steady. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.

Athletics vs Rays predictions

• Prediction: Rays (-200)
• Prediction: Over 7.5 (+104)
• Best bet: ML and alt total: Rays and O8.5 (+260)

Picks made on 4/13/2022 at 11 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Athletics vs Rays game info

• Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
• Date: Wednesday, April 13, 2022
• First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCS-CA, Bally Sports

Athletics vs Rays betting preview

Starting pitchers

Frankie Montas RHP (0-1, 9.00 ERA): Montas struggled in his first start of the season, scattering six hits and allowing five runs in five innings versus the Phillies. Montas is coming off an excellent 2021 campaign where he went 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and .232 OBA in 32 starts. 

Shane McClanahan LHP (0-0, 0.00 ERA): The 24-year-old opened his season with an excellent start against the Orioles, fanning seven batters in 4 1-3 innings of shutout ball. McClanahan had a strong rookie season with Tampa Bay in 2021 going 10-6 with a 3.43 ERA and 141 strikeouts across 123 1-3 innings of work.

Weather

Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.

Key injuries

Athletics: Ramon Laureano OF (Out), Deolis Guerra RP (Out).
Rays: JT Chargois RP (Out), Peter Fairbanks RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Rays are 50-19 in their last 69 home games. Find more MLB betting trends for Athletics vs. Rays.

Athletics vs Rays picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Moneyline analysis

The Rays drove in two runs in the bottom of the 10th inning last night to edge the A's in a 9-8 thriller. That allowed the Rays to bounce back from a 12-3 loss in the first game of this series and improved their record to 4-1.

Coming off their second-straight AL East title, the Rays remain a contender despite trading away Austin Meadows last week and having a rotation decimated by injuries.

McClanahan is currently their best starter and will toe the rubber this evening. The sophomore has electric stuff, with a four-seam fastball that tops out at 98 mph to go along with a devastating slider. He had a 3.43 ERA in 25 starts last year despite making nine starts against offensive powerhouses in the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Red Sox (as well as another start versus the White Sox).

The Rays have also been crushing the ball and rank third in the majors with a .808 OPS thanks to some terrific hitting from sophomore shortstop Wander Franco (.550 AVG) and first baseman Ji-Man Choi (.615 AVG, 1.706 OPS). 

The A's will send Frankie Montas to the mound and while he struggled in his first start of the year, he was very reliable in 2021. The A's are a respectable 10th in the majors with an OPS of .736 while averaging 6.4 runs per game but there's reason to think regression is inevitable. 

They are batting just .234 and while Stephen Piscotty, Seth Brown, and Tony Kemp have impressed, the rest of the lineup is mediocre. Quite simply, you can't lose players like Matt Chapman and Matt Olson while having Ramon Laureano out with a suspension and expect consistent offense. 

I suspect that Tampa Bay's offense is for real (especially after last season's impressive production) and that the A's recent offensive fireworks are an outlier. That, along with the Rays' superior bullpen, has me backing them tonight.

Prediction: Rays ML (-200 at 888Sport)

Over/Under analysis

These teams combined for 15 and 17 runs in the first two games of this series but oddsmakers are clearly expecting massive regression in that area today. We're not so sure given the current play of these teams. Both squads are among the highest-scoring teams in the majors and the Rays finished last season with an impressive 5.28 runs per game. 

Even at pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field, they plated a respectable 4.96 runs per game, and today they take on Montas (who started the year on a sour note) and an Oakland bullpen that's among the worst in the majors.

Even if the A's offense experiences a bit of regression, we like this game to go Over the relatively low total of 7.5 runs, which is currently available at plus money. 

The Rays seem to always outplay expectations and in another year where the AL East looks stacked, they need to pick up wins against non-division opponents they're expected to beat, especially at home. 

Prediction: Over 7.5 (+104 at SportsInteraction)

Best bet

We think the Over looks like a great bet and we also like the Rays on the moneyline. That has us seriously liking the combination play of the moneyline and alternate total of 8.5. 

Pick: ML and alternative total: Rays and Over 8.5 (+260 at Bet365)

Pages related to this topic