Rays vs. Athletics Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 5/4/2022

The Oakland Athletics (10-14 look to avoid the sweep when they host the Tampa Bay Rays (14-10) in the final game of a three-game set. Sportsbooks have listed the Rays as -123 favorites, while the Athletics are +104 underdogs to pick up a win. Tampa Bay’s Corey Kluber and Oakland’s Frankie Montas have been named the starters for this contest.

Rays vs. Athletics Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Rays vs. Athletics

Our computer pick: Oakland Athletics (+104) and Over (7)

Rays vs. Athletics Game Info

• Tampa Bay Rays probable starting pitcher: Corey Kluber
• Oakland Athletics probable starting pitcher: Frankie Montas
• Game Day: Wednesday, May 4, 2022
• Game Time: 3:37 PM ET
• Location: Oakland, California
• Stadium: Oakland Coliseum

Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Pitching Matchup

Rays Starter Corey Kluber

• The Rays will send Kluber (1-1) to the mound to make his fifth start of the season. He is 1-1 with a 3.05 ERA and 18 strikeouts through 20 2/3 innings pitched.
• In his most recent appearance on Friday, the right-hander threw six innings against the Minnesota Twins, giving up one earned run while surrendering one hit.
• In four games this season, the 36-year-old has amassed an ERA of 3.05, with 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are hitting .247 against him.
• Kluber is aiming for his fourth straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 5.1 innings per appearance on the mound.
• He will match up with an Athletics offense that is hitting .209 as a unit (28th in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .335 (26th in MLB) with 19 total home runs (19th in MLB).

Athletics Starter Frankie Montas

• The Athletics’ Montas (2-2) will make his sixth start of the season.
• The right-hander gave up five earned runs in five innings pitched on Saturday in his last outing, a matchup with the Cleveland Guardians.
• The 29-year-old has pitched in five games this season with an ERA of 4.25, a 3.875 strikeout to walk ratio and a WHIP of .978.
• He has earned a quality start three times in five starts this season.
• Montás will look to pitch five or more innings for the sixth start in a row.
• The Rays are batting .247 this season, fourth in MLB. They have a team slugging percentage of .400 (seventh in the league) with 22 home runs.
• This season, the right-hander has pitched against the Rays in one game, and they have gone 5-for-25 with a home run and an RBI over 6 1/3 innings.
• Among qualified Major League pitchers this season, the 29-year-old’s 4.25 ERA ranks 50th, .978 WHIP ranks 26th, and 9.4 K/9 ranks 18th.

Rays Betting Picks & Insights

• The Rays have won 13, or 61.9%, of the 21 games they’ve played as favorites this season.
• Tampa Bay has a record of 12-8 in games where oddsmakers favor them by at least -123 on the moneyline.
• The moneyline for this contest implies a 55.2% chance of a victory for the Rays.
• So far this season, Tampa Bay and its opponents have hit the over in 11 of their 24 games with a total.
• In 24 games with a spread this season, the Rays are 10-14-0 ATS.

Athletics Betting Picks & Insights

• The Athletics have come away with seven wins in the 18 contests they have been listed as the underdogs in this season.
• This season, Oakland has been victorious six times in 16 chances when named as an underdog of at least +104 or worse on the moneyline.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Athletics have a 49% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.
• Oakland and their opponents have gone over in 12 of their 24 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
• The Athletics are 11-13-0 against the spread in their 24 games with a line set by sportsbooks this season.

Rays Leaders & Batting Stats

• Not only does Wander Franco lead the Rays in hitting with his .319 average, he also is their foremost power hitter with four home runs and 14 RBI.
• In all of the majors, Franco ranks 28th in homers and 25th in RBI.
• Franco takes a hitting streak of four games into this game. During his last five outings he is batting .316 with a double, two walks and two RBI.
• Yandy Diaz is hitting .318 with three doubles, two home runs and 15 walks.
• Diaz ranks 89th in homers and 180th in RBI among all hitters in MLB.
• Diaz has two straight games with at least one hit. During his last five outings he is batting .444 with a double, a home run, four walks and three RBI.
• Manuel Margot is batting .294 with three doubles, a triple and six walks.
• Margot will look to build on his three-game hitting in this matchup. During his last five outings he is batting .350 with two doubles, a triple, a walk and three RBI.
• Brandon Lowe has four doubles, three home runs and eight walks while batting .189.
• Lowe is riding a three-game hitting streak into this one. During his last five outings he is batting .211 with three doubles and an RBI.

Athletics Leaders & Batting Stats

• Sheldon Neuse leads the Athletics with a team-high batting average of .329.
• Neuse’s home run total puts him 89th in the majors, and he ranks 25th in RBI.
• Sean Murphy has been a reliable source of runs this year, leading the lineup with four home runs and 15 runs batted in.
• Murphy is 28th in home runs and 15th in RBI among all hitters in MLB.
• Tony Kemp is batting .234 with two doubles and nine walks.
• Elvis Andrus is batting .182 with five doubles, a home run and nine walks.

Betting Tips for Rays vs. Athletics

Our best bet is the Athletics on the moneyline at +104 after analyzing all of the key statistics and trends for this matchup. Our computer projects the total score will over the total of 7 runs.