Game: MLB Wild Card ✅ Tampa Bay Rays v Oakland Athletics Preview, Handicapping, Analysis, Stats, MLB Betting Odds & Lines, Rays vs Athletics Picks & Rays vs Athletics Predictions
Date: Wednesday, Oct 2, 2019
Start time: 8:10 PM EST, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
TV Channel: ESPN
Best Oakland Athletics Lines: (-143) MoneyLine – BETONLINE
Total Runs Over/Under 7½: – BOVADA
In MLB Wild Card, we will see Tampa Bay Rays (C. Morton -R) at Oakland Athletics (S. Manaea -L).
Betting Prediction:
The Oakland Athletics are the 4th best team in the entire league when playing at home. Under their own turf, they have won 9 of their last 12 games. The A’s will likely start Sean Manaea at the mound. He was injured throughout the whole year but he returned in September and was playing lights out. In his five starts this season, he has been sensational with a 30:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Tampa Bay Rays will surely start Charlie Morton and it is not a surprise at all. He finished the year with a 16-6 record as a starter and with a 3.05 ERA. He is on a roll and I expect him to also play very well against Oakland. Tampa Bay is one of the best road teams in the league and Charlie Morton posted a 3.59 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and allowed the opponents to bat .238 on the road.
Both teams are playing very well and managed to get to the postseason due to their great August and September. The Rays are 37-17 in their last 54 games while the A’s are 38-17 in their last 55. It comes down to this- I trust Morton more than I trust Manaea because he has pitched very well throughout the entire season and not just in September.