Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics:
Any hope the Tampa Bay Rays had of making the playoffs this season was extended by sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks this past weekend. They look to build off that positive momentum on Tuesday when they play the Oakland Athletics on the road.
Joey Estes gets the start on the mound for Oakland, who has pitched to a lot of contact this season with just 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings while allowing 1.3 home runs and 2.2 walks per nine innings, posting a 4.72 ERA and 4.52 fielding independent.
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Behind Estes is a bullpen that is 18th in ERA since June 30 with a 4.06 ERA, while the Rays lead the league with a 2.71 ERA in this span.
For the Rays, Shane Baz gets the start. Baz has allowed three earned runs or fewer in six of his seven starts this year, posting a 4.21 ERA with just one home run allowed per nine innings.
Baz faces an Athletics offense that led the league in home runs in July and scored the most runs of any American League team in July. They have come back to Earth in August with both of these teams averaging 3.4 runs per game in August.
With both offenses struggling, it puts an even bigger premium on pitching in this matchup. With Baz having yet to give up a home run in his four road starts this season and being backed up by the better bullpen, the Rays will help their playoff hopes with a win on Tuesday.
MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -115
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