Tropicana Field hosts an MLB battle between the Tampa Bay Rays and the visiting Oakland Athletics on Friday.

Oakland puts its faith in starter Brett Anderson to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 1-2. Getting the ball for the Rays is Alex Cobb, who owns a 1-1 record on the season with a 1.93 ERA.



View Oakland vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Rays were listed as -109 moneyline favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook, while oddsmakers set the Sportsbook total around 7.5 earlier at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Rays, most recently No. 11 in the American League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Athletics, who rate an American League No. 4 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Tampa Bay's American League No. 15-ranked scoring average of 3.4 runs per game, against a Athletics offense rated No. 1 and scoring 6 runs per game in the league. The Rays have averaged 7 hits per game to date this season, less than the Athletics hitters have managed (9.3 per nine innings).

Tampa Bay owns the American League's No. 10 defense, allowing 4.7 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Oakland's American League No. 6-rated defense.

Last time out for Oakland, they were a 7-5 Sportsbook as they battled the Astros at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Athletics at -187 were rewarded, while the 12 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Oakland got the job done in their last match in a 7-5 victory over Houston on Wednesday at O.co Coliseum behind starter Bartolo Colon.

Last time out for Tampa Bay, they were a 10-6 loser as they battled the Orioles on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Orioles at +123 were rewarded, while the 16 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Tampa Bay lost in extra innings against the Orioles on Thursday as Baltimore edged them 10-6 at Camden Yards.


Oakland Athletics Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing Tampa Bay are 6-4
After playing Houston are 10-0
After a win are 9-1

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 9-1
Before playing Oakland are 6-4
After playing Baltimore are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5

A few Athletics at Rays trends to consider:
Oakland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Oakland's last 15 games
Oakland is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games
Tampa Bay is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Tampa Bay's last 13 games when playing at home against Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Tampa Bay's last 16 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games at home


Next up:
Oakland at Tampa Bay, Saturday, April 20