On the evening of August 20, 2024, the Tampa Bay Rays are set to battle the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum, with the first pitch scheduled for 9:40 PM under clear skies. Representing the Rays on the mound will be Shane Baz, who carries a 4.211 ERA into the game. His counterpart from the Athletics, Joey Estes, will compete with a slightly higher ERA of 4.722.
In the race for division standings within the 2024 AL East, the Rays sit at 9th place with an even record of 62-62, including a divisional scorecard of 17-23. They are 4th in the division and have won 4 of their last 10 games, currently riding a losing streak of one game. The Rays hold an equal home and road record of 34-34 and 28-28 respectively and they have a better performance in night games with 36 wins compared to 26 daytime victories.
Meanwhile, in the AL West, the Athletics rank 13th with a record of 54-71, which results in a winning percentage of 0.43. They are also 4th in their division and have a slightly better recent form with 7 wins in their last 10 outings, including a current winning streak of one. The Athletics have balanced home results of 31-31 but struggle more on the road with a 23-40 record, and similar to the Rays, perform slightly better under the lights with 30 night game wins.
As for the betting odds, the game is delicately balanced. The Rays are slight favorites with a moneyline of -118, and the game has an over/under set at 8.0, reflecting expectations of a moderately scoring game. The point spread standing at 1.5 suggests a closely contested matchup, hinting that the Rays are slightly favored to win by at least 2 runs. For those inclined towards betting, these odds suggest a tight game where any small edge could turn the tide.