Tampa Bay @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 21, 2016 ) Tampa Bay 7, Oakland 3

Tim Beckham is enjoying the best stretch of his career and the Tampa Bay Rays are suddenly scoring runs in bushels entering Friday's road game against the Oakland Athletics. The light-hitting infielder homered Thursday as part of a streak in which he tied a franchise record with eight hits in eight at-bats over a three-game span to help Tampa Bay to a 7-3 win in the series opener, and the Rays have scored 28 runs during a three-game winning streak.

Tampa Bay has won four of its last five games after suffering through a dreadful 3-24 stretch. Beckham, who had a career-best five hits against Colorado on Wednesday, and Corey Dickerson (8-for-13 over the last three games) each homered in the series opener against Oakland. The Athletics have lost two straight games after winning four of their previous five contests and rumors are swirling that pending free-agent right fielder Josh Reddick could be traded before the end of the month after contract talks reached a stalemate. "It's kind of disheartening something hasn't been worked out so far," Reddick told reporters, "and we've been four months into it. It is what it is."

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), CSN California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Jake Odorizzi (4-5, 4.39 ERA) vs. Athletics LH Sean Manaea (3-5, 5.13)

The 26-year-old Odorizzi is being pursued via trade by several teams with the Rays out of the American League playoff mix. He ended a six-start winless stretch Sunday when he held Baltimore to two runs and seven hits in six innings. Odorizzi is 0-2 with a 6.14 ERA in three career starts against Oakland and suffered the loss May 13 when he served up three homers while allowing five runs and seven hits in four innings.

Manaea has given up two runs or fewer in four of his past five starts but has just one victory over his last six outings. The 24-year-old received a no-decision against Toronto in his last turn when he gave up two runs and three hits over five innings. Manaea hasn't issued a base on balls in either of his past two outings and has walked one or fewer hitters in four of his last five starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rays 1B Logan Morrison (forearm) has sat out three straight games.

2. Oakland LF Khris Davis is 1-for-19 — the hit is a homer — over the past five games.

3. Tampa Bay All-Star RHP Alex Colome has recorded 21 consecutive saves this season, one off the franchise mark set by Fernando Rodney in 2012.

PREDICTION: Rays 6, Athletics 3