Rays vs. Athletics Picks, Predictions & Odds: Arozarena Poised to Pounce on a Southpaw

sportsbookreview.com

13 June 2023

The Oakland Athletics continue their three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays at home on Tuesday. Let's dive into the matchup with our Rays-Athletics pick based on the top MLB odds from our best sports betting apps.

The Oakland Athletics have somehow stumbled their way to six straight wins, including a 4-3 victory over the imposing and American League leading Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.

But the Athletics have generally been putrid while compiling an MLB-worst 18-50 record, putting them well on pace to produce the worst season since 1899. And now as Las Vegas eyes the franchise, fans will stage a "reverse boycott" on Tuesday night to show that despite poor attendance (the A's rank last while averaging 8,675 fans per game), their enthusiasm for the team isn't the issue with the franchise. Rather, a low budget is the problem, as the team regularly hurts its ability to remain competitive while selling off key stars.

Will a rare raucous crowd at Oakland Coliseum give the A's a boost?

Here is our best Rays-Athletics pick (odds via our best MLB betting sites; pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Rays vs. Athletics pick

Randy Arozarena Over 1.5 total bases (+130 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The A's are starting someone named Hogan Harris on Tuesday. He's making only his second big-league start after compiling a 6.46 ERA over 15 1/3 innings, and the first outing came against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sure, the Pirates have been surprising in 2023, but offensively they're in another world compared to the Rays and their MLB-leading .810 OPS and 113 homers.

And Randy Arozarena has been central to that effort from Tampa.

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The charismatic outfielder has posted an .898 OPS, a significant improvement so far over his .773 in 2022. He's also clubbed 12 homers already in mid-June after finishing with a modest 20 in each of the past two campaigns.

The veteran has been explosive against lefties too, which places him in an ideal spot Tuesday when facing a southpaw in Harris. Arozarena has put up a dominant 1.051 OPS against lefties, as opposed to a .862 when facing a righty. And when Harris departs, Arozarena can feast on an A's bullpen ranked dead last while surrendering a 5.93 ERA.

Arozarena has slumped a little to begin June in terms of extra-base power, though he's still notched at least one hit during seven of his 10 games so far in the month. If anything, his slight downturn has led to a more appealing price to jump on here, and one that's nearly in line with the +141 odds from Ballpark Pal.

Rays vs. Athletics best odds

DraftKings, BetMGM (+130)

Only four of our best sports betting sites are offering this market, and it's wise to steer far clear of FanDuel. The price at that shop is far shorter than the +130 being offered through DraftKings and BetMGM.

However, FanDuel continues to feature the opportunity to bet on more than the standard total bases prop. If you think he can tear apart another lefty and/or tee off on an awful bullpen, Arozarena is getting a +180 price to record three-plus total bases.

Rays vs. Athletics odds

Rays vs. Athletics odds analysis

The Rays are predictably heavy favorites in this one. They started out -210 on the moneyline, and the club can still be found there through DraftKings and PointsBet. However, they've fallen to -227 at BetMGM.

Meanwhile, the total began at 8.5 but has since shifted to 9 across all of our best live betting sites. Both sides of the total are at -110 almost universally, with Caesars the only exception. It's offering -105 for the Under and -115 on the Over.

Rays vs. Athletics game info

Date: Tuesday, June 13, 9:40 p.m. ET
TV: MLB.TV
Location: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA
Weather: 55 degress, 30% chance of precipitation, 10-mph southwesterly winds

Rays-Athletics pick made 6/13/2023 at 4:00 p.m. ET.