Barstool Bush
Predictions

Tampa Bay Rays at Athletics

By Bush StaffUpdated 9d ago·2 min read
Tampa Bay RaysTB(73-46)
AthleticsATH(47-73)
8—4
FINAL
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ATH
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Drew Rasmussen (11-5, 2.78 ERA) got the ball for the getaway-day matinee, a first pitch set for 12:05 PM PT, and he came in fresh off a 7-inning, 0-run, 8-strikeout gem against Seattle. Jack Perkins (2-8, 7.27 ERA) drew the unenviable task of stopping the bleeding for Oakland's transplanted club, and his last time out he'd been rocked for 5 earned runs in just 3 innings against Boston.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Rays(73-46)
WWWWW
8
Athletics(47-73)
LLWWL
4
Best BetRays -194
Postgame

Rays won 8-4 and never let it get interesting, exactly the outright case we made. Rasmussen wasn't perfectly sharp but didn't need to be with 15 hits behind him — the bear case about a shorthanded bullpen never got tested because the offense buried Oakland early.

Pregame

Rasmussen's been the best version of himself lately and Perkins is running a 7.04 ERA — this price reflects a real talent gap, not just recent noise. Tampa Bay's won 5 straight and already beaten this Oakland roster twice this week. Lay the number and back the Rays to make it 3.

The lineups told the story before a pitch was thrown. Tampa Bay's been shredding this series without Gavin Lux and Jake Fraley, both lost for the year, while the A's are trying to survive without Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers — basically their middle of the order, gone. Oakland also had reliever Justin Sterner off to see a knee specialist and Jose Suarez shuffled into an opener role, which tells you how thin that pitching staff has gotten.

Drew Rasmussen
Drew Rasmussen
(13-5)·3.01 ERA
Aug 7 @ Mariners
W
7.0IP
0ER
8K
2BB
91P
08/12 Lineup
Jack Perkins
Jack Perkins
(2-9)·6.96 ERA
Aug 7 @ Red Sox
L
3.0IP
5ER
3K
3BB
70P
08/12 Lineup

None of that stopped the Rays from arriving as heavy road favorites, and the market leaned hard into more scoring given how both offenses had performed the previous two nights in Sacramento.

Tampa Bay wasted no time turning this into another laugher. A four-run third inning blew it open, and the Rays tacked on across the board en route to 15 hits and an 8-4 final. Rasmussen didn't need his best stuff — Oakland got to him for a couple of runs — but the offense buried the Athletics again, the same formula that produced 10 and 12 runs in the two nights before.

Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
(73-46)
Aug 12W@ Athletics12-4
Aug 11W@ Athletics10-6
Aug 9W@ Mariners4-1
Aug 9W@ Mariners3-2
Aug 8W@ Mariners2-1
Athletics
Athletics
(47-73)
Aug 12Lvs Rays4-12
Aug 11Lvs Rays6-10
Aug 9W@ Red Sox4-3
Aug 8W@ Red Sox7-3
Aug 7L@ Red Sox1-13

That's 5 straight wins for Tampa Bay and a third straight lopsided result against an Oakland club that's now lost 2 in a row and sitting at 47-73, buried in last place. The Rays have simply had their number all series, piling up 30-plus combined runs across the set while the A's pitching staff — already stretched by injuries — had no answer.

Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
(10)
  • 10-Day-ILBen Williamson (2B) — The Rays placed Williamson on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Thursday, due to a right hamstring strain.08/07
  • 15-Day-ILShane McClanahan (SP) — McClanahan (back) threw three perfect innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Durham on Tuesday. He struck out two.08/12
  • 15-Day-ILGriffin Jax (SP) — Jax (elbow) received an injection in right elbow after visiting with Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.08/12
  • 15-Day-ILCole Sulser (RP) — The Rays placed Sulser on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to lower back spasms.07/29
  • 60-Day-ILGavin Lux (LF) — Lux (shoulder) is unlikely to return this season, per MLB.com.08/11
  • 60-Day-ILJake Fraley (RF) — The Rays transferred Fraley (hernia) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.08/02
  • 60-Day-ILManuel Rodriguez (RP) — Rodriguez (elbow) began a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Thursday, giving up a solo home run and striking out three in one inning.07/24
  • 60-Day-ILEdwin Uceta (RP) — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Uceta has yet to resume throwing and will meet with a doctor to have his nagging right shoulder injury examined, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.07/06
  • 60-Day-ILJonathan Heasley (RP) — Heasley was returned to the major-league roster and placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow stress reaction.06/08
  • 60-Day-ILRyan Pepiot (SP) — Pepiot will undergo surgery on his right hip May 13 and miss the rest of the 2026 season, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.05/08
Athletics
Athletics
(12)
  • 10-Day-ILNick Kurtz (1B) — Kurtz (thumb) is set to spend three more weeks in a brace after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection last Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.08/12
  • 10-Day-ILShea Langeliers (C) — The Athletics announced that Langeliers underwent a successful medial meniscectomy Tuesday in Los Angeles and also received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his right knee, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/28
  • 10-Day-ILJoshua Kuroda-Grauer (3B) — Kuroda-Grauer was diagnosed with a testicular contusion after exiting Monday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/21
  • 15-Day-ILJose Suarez (RP) — Suarez will serve as the Athletics' opening pitcher during Thursday's game against the Tigers, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.08/12
  • 15-Day-ILJustin Sterner (RP) — Sterner will see a knee specialist at Stanford this week, per MLB.com.08/12
  • 15-Day-ILJeffrey Springs (SP) — Springs (hip) was able to restart a throwing program Wednesday after landing on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, MLB.com reports.08/06
  • 60-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. (RP) — Leiter will undergo surgery Tuesday to address a right hip impingement and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILLuis Severino (SP) — Severino (shoulder) began a throwing progression Saturday, per MLB.com.07/28
  • 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke (CF) — Manager Mark Kotsay said Saturday that Clarke (hamstring) is nearing a rehab assignment, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/19
  • 60-Day-ILBrent Rooker (DH) — Rooker will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/17
  • 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske (RP) — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.06/16
  • 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund (SP) — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.05/20

For Oakland, the silver lining is thin: Perkins gets another data point in a rookie season that's mostly been an adjustment period, and at least the last-place club heads into the next series without another loss on the ledger to dwell on. For the Rays, it's more of the same — a deep, healthy-enough lineup mashing a shorthanded opponent, and Rasmussen banking another quality-ish start to keep his ERA near the top of the American League.

Sources

MLBTampa Bay RaysAthleticsPolymarketKalshiDrew RasmussenJack Perkins