Thursday 6-20-19 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jack Jones

Jun 20 '19, 10:07 PM in 4h
MLB | Rays vs A's
Play on: Rays +103 at 5Dimes

Jack’s Free Pick Thursday: Tampa Bay Rays +103
The Tampa Bay Rays come into this series with the Oakland A’s highly motivated for a victory in Game 1. They have lost three straight and seven of their last nine overall in what has been their worst stretch of the season.
Ace Charlie Morton will stop the bleeding tonight. He is 8-1 with a 2.37 ERA and 1.030 WHIP in 15 starts this season, including 5-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 1.015 WHIP in eight road starts. He faced Oakland on June 10 and pitched 7 shutout innings in a 6-2 victory.
The Rays are 7-1 in Morton’s last eight road starts. Tampa Bay is 17-6 in its last 23 vs. AL West opponents. The A’s are 3-10 in their last 13 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600. Bet the Rays Thursday.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Larry Ness

Jun 20 '19, 10:07 PM in 4h
MLB | Rays vs A's
Play on: Rays +103 at 5Dimes

My free play is on the TB Rays at 10:07 ET. The Tampa Bay Rays arrived in the Bronx on Monday for a three-game series with the NY Yankees, one which loomed as a showdown for supremacy in the AL East . The Rays now 'limp' out of New York and head cross-country for a four-game series with the Oakland A's, as they continue a 10-game road trip. Tampa Bay was outscored 21-4 by New York in getting swept for only the second time this season in a three-game set. Tampa Bay has now lost SEVEN of its last nine games, including two of three at home vs Oakland, to fall 3 1/2 games off the division lead. Meanwhile, the Oakland A's are in the thick of the AL wild-card race, following a three-game sweep of the hapless Baltimore Orioles, including a 16-2 rout that featured six HRs on Tuesday. The A's are 39-36, one of FIVE teams withing four games of the AL's second wild card spot (Oakland is just 1 1/2 games back of the final playoff spot!). Thursday pitching matchup is a VERY good one. Charlie Morton (8-1, 2.37 ERA) will step to the mound for the Rays, opposed by Frankie Montas (9-2, 2.85 ERA). Morton spent his first nine years in the National League and sported a 46-71 record. However, he arrived in Tampa Bay this spring (as a free agent), after registering his best two seasons in the majors with Houston, going 29-10 with a 3.36 ERA in 55 starts. He won a World Series title with the Houston Astros in 2017 and made his first All-Star team in 2018. Speaking of the All Star game, Morton is making a case to start this year's game in July. Morton took the mound his last time having won FOUR straight starts, posting a 1.00 ERA and a .151 BAA in that span. Morton hadn't lost in 21 starts dating to a 3-2 defeat against the Seattle Mariners on Aug 11 (when he was still with the Houston Astros), giving him the longest unbeaten streak in the majors. However, Morton suffered his first loss of the season last Saturday, losing 5-3 to the LA Angels. He gave up a pair of early HRs over a six-inning stint in which he permitted four runs and five hits. Montas is working on a "career season," as he needs just one more victory to double his previous career-high total. He comes off winning a THIRD consecutive win, after giving up two runs on six hits while striking out nine to beat Seattle 11-2 on Saturday. He is 5-0 (2.77 ERA) during an eight-start unbeaten streak (A's are 6-2) and has allowed THREE runs or less in 13 of his 14 starts in 2019 (A's are 10-4). Tha A's are riding the momentum of the three-game sweep of the Orioles (outscored the visitors 27-7) but after all, it was Baltimore (Orioles are MLB's worst team at 21-57). . Yes, the Rays were swept by the Yankees (outscored 21-4) but New York is 46-27, 25 1/2 games better than Baltimore.The Rays arrived in New York with a 23-10 road record, which was a MLB-best. I expect them to bounce back here, with Morton out-pitching Montas.Good luck...Larry