The Oakland Athletics host Tampa Bay on Thursday, looking to build on their 47-57 mark against the 53-50 Rays in MLB betting action at Overstock.com Coliseum.

Oakland hands the ball to starter Rich Harden in this one and he'll try to improve on his 2-1 mark on the year. Tampa Bay counters with Wade Davis, who will try to quiet the fans and the Athletics bats at the same time.



View Tampa Bay vs Oakland Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Oakland opened as -125 moneyline favorites in this baseball match, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made odds makers settle on an Sportsbook over under number of 7.5.

Power Rankings:
The Athletics - Rays odds would favor the Athletics if the lines were set according to our power ranks. Oakland is rated No. 4 in the current American League Odds Shark poll, while Tampa Bay is at No. 8 in the American League.



How They Match Up:
At the plate, Oakland owns the No. 13 ranking for hits in the American League at 8.2 per game. By contrast, the Rays are rated No. 12 in the same category at 8.2 per game.

Tampa Bay brings the American League's No. 6-rated defense to this matchup, facing the Athletics' league No. 3-ranked defense.

The Rays were a 13-4 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Athletics. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Oakland at +117 on the moneyline, while the total score (17) was good news for OVER bettors. The Rays were saddled with a loss last time out in James Shields' start, as they lost 13-4 against Oakland on Wednesday at Overstock.com Coliseum.




Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Seattle are 6-4
After playing Oakland are 4-6
After a loss are 4-6

Oakland Athletics Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Minnesota are 4-6
After playing Tampa Bay are 7-3
After a win are 3-7

A few Rays at Athletics trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing on the road against Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games on the road
Oakland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Oakland's last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay


Next up:
Tampa Bay at Seattle, Friday, July 29
Oakland home to Minnesota, Friday, July 29