MLB Betting Pick: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics: May 7th 2010

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics
Free Pick: Oakland Athletics +118
Courtesy of Mike Rose (Handicapperspicks.com)
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The team with the best record in baseball will return to the diamond on Friday night at McAfee Coliseum, where the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics will kick off a three game set.

The Rays moved to an impressive 12-1 on the road this year with a series sweep in Seattle before heading to Oakland.

The A’s are tied with Texas for first place in the AL West standings after taking two out of three against said Rangers.

David Price is 3-1 with a 2.34 ERA this year, and he is showing signs of electricity that hasn’t been seen out of a left-hander in Tampa Bay since Scott Kazmir was traded from the Mets.

This will be Price’s first attempt at facing the Athletics in his young career.

LHP Gio Gonzalez is Oakland’s version of Price. Also 24 years old, Gonzalez has shown flashes of potential, but now that he is in his third year in the majors, he is really starting to blossom.

Gonzalez is 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA and has the exact same 27 strikeouts that Price does. Oakland’s southpaw has a 1.29 WHIP and a .215 batting average against, both of which are numbers that any hurler would be proud of.

Gonzalez has made three appearances against the Rays in his career, only one of which was a start. He has allowed six runs in 9.2 innings, but is 1-0 to show for it.

The Rays are just 12-34 in their L/46 visits to Oakland. One has to think that the road run for the Rays is going to come to a close at some point. The oddsmakers have probably run a wee too far with the lines here, as Price is still clearly no more than the fourth best starter in this rotation.

We’re going to back the A’s to make a statement in this series and continue their home dominance over the AL East leaders beginning with a win on Friday night.

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