The Rays and Athletics conclude their weekend series Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rays won Game 1 on Friday and entered Saturday a perfect 7-0 this season, while the A’s look like a team that was projected to finish last in the AL West.
Things won’t get any better for Oakland on Sunday with Drew Rasmussen taking the hill for Tampa Bay.
Rasmussen is coming off a 2022 season in which he posted a 2.84 ERA, and he looked dominant in his first start of the season against Washington, allowing just two hits over six scoreless innings.
The A’s will counter with James Kaprielian.
Unlike Rasmussen, Kaprielian got hammered in his first start of the season, vs. Cleveland, when the right-hander gave up seven hits and five runs in five innings.
If Rasmussen is on his game Sunday, he should have little trouble mowing down the punchless Oakland lineup.
Heading into Saturday, the A’s ranked 23rd in runs per nine innings, 24th in on-base percentage and 26th in batting average.
The Oakland pitching staff has been even worse through seven games, ranking 22nd or worse in opponent’s runs per nine innings, batting average, on-base percentage and home runs.
It’s a small sample size, but during the first two weeks, the A’s are making oddsmakers look smart for pegging them with one of the lowest season win totals.
This matchup is a complete mismatch on paper, and with Rasmussen dealing, look for the Rays to get another big early season win.
The play: Rays -1.5 (-122 FanDuel)