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Athletics vs Yankees, Indians vs Rays, & More MLB Series Prices – August 30

Daniel Coyle

by Daniel Coyle in MLB Baseball

Updated Apr 7, 2020 · 11:32 AM PDT

Aaron Judge throwing the ball in right field
Aaron Judge is favored to lead the MLB in home runs this season. Photo by Keith Allison (Wikimedia Commons).
  • The New York Yankees look to build on their AL-leading home record as they host the Oakland A’s as heavy -210 favorites
  • New York owns a sparkling 49-20 home record but were swept by the A’s in Oakland last week
  • The AL wild card race heats up as the surging Cleveland Indians visit the slumping Tampa Bay Rays as -125 chalk

American League postseason contenders jockey for position in the standings over Labor Day weekend as the Oakland A’s visit the AL East-leading New York Yankees, while the Cleveland Indians travel to Tampa Bay aiming to extend the Rays recent struggles.

We have odds for each of these new series as well as every other series kicking off on Friday.

Oakland Athletics vs New York Yankees Series Price

Team Odds
Athletics +180
Yankees -210

Yankees Ride AL’s Top Home Record into Weekend Clash with Oakland

The Yankees will be aiming to build on a four-game win streak when they return home on Friday to open a three-game weekend series with the Athletics at Yankee Stadium.

New York produced mixed results on their recent nine-game road trip, which opened with a three-game sweep at the hands of the A’s. However, New York rebounded nicely, taking two of three from the NL-leading Los Angeles Dodgers before closing things out with a sweep of the Seattle Mariners.

The Yankees have been far steadier at home, going 18-6 in 24 home dates since the All-Star break, and have not suffered a series defeat at Yankee Stadium since dropping two of three to the Chicago White Sox back in mid-April.

New York now sports an AL-leading 49-20 home record, but the club has surrendered big run totals to opponents of late, allowing eight or more runs in three of their past eight. The Yankees have also struggled in recent dates with Oakland, going 4-10 in 14 meetings since June 2017, but are 3-1 in their past four at home versus the A’s.

A’s vs Yankees Probable Starting Pitchers

Missing Team
VS
Yankees
Brett Anderson August 30 CC Sabathia
Homer Bailey August 31 Domingo German
Mike Fiers September 1 J.A. Happ

The A’s arrive in the Big Apple looking to strengthen their grasp on an AL wild card spot after opening their current seven-game road trip by taking three of four from the Kansas City Royals. Oakland has enjoyed a resurgence since late July, suffering consecutive defeats just once, while going 20-10 over the club’s past 30 outings.

Oakland continues to struggle with consistency on the road, going 7-5 during its current surge, including a 2-3 record in one-run games, and holds a slight one-game lead over Tampa Bay in the race for the second AL wild card.

However, the A’s bats have been red-hot in recent away dates, averaging 8.6 runs per game over the club’s past five road outings.

Pick: Athletics (+180)

Cleveland Indians vs Tampa Bay Rays Series Price

Team Odds
Cleveland Indians -125
Tampa Bay Rays +105

AL Wild Card Race Heats Up as Indians Visit Tampa Bay

The Cleveland Indians hope to give themselves some breathing room atop the AL wild card standings when they open a three-game road series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. The Indians are coming off a sweep of the lowly Detroit Tigers, and now enjoy a 1.5-game lead over Oakland for the top wild card, 2.5 games up on Tampa Bay. The Indians dominated in Detroit, outscoring the Tigers by a 16-3 margin over their three-game clash to improve to 5-1 in their past five outings.

However, Cleveland has struggled in recent matchups with opponents in postseason contention, going 3-7 while suffering consecutive series losses to  the Red Sox, Yankees, and Mets. Despite those struggles, Cleveland has continued to play stingy baseball, allowing three or fewer runs in seven of 12 contests, but has averaged just 2.77 runs per game while going 2-7 in nine overall meetings with the Rays.

Indians vs Rays Probable Starting Pitchers

Indians
VS
Rays
Shane Bieber August 30 Austin Pruitt
Zach Plesac August 31 TBD
Adam Plutko September 1 Charlie Morton

The Rays return home on Friday looking to bust out of a shaky 6-8 run that has emerged as a threat to their postseason aspirations. The club closed out a seven-game road trip on a winning note with Thursday’s 9-8 victory in Houston, but has regularly struggled to contain opposing hitters, allowing 9.2 runs per game while going 1-4 over their past five outings.

Tampa Bay has also struggled at home of late, going 10-12 in the club’s past 22 contests at Tropicana Field, and have failed to record a home series win over a visiting opponent sporting a winning record since closing out the month of June by taking two of three from the Texas Rangers.

Pick: Rays (+105)

Additional MLB Series Odds

Team Odda
Milwaukee Brewers +155
Chicago Cubs -175
Team Odds
Miami Marlins +400
Washington Nationals -475
Team Odds
New York Mets +125
Philadelphia Phillies -145
Team Odds
Houston Astros -350
Toronto Blue Jays +290
Team Odds
Minnesota Twins -260
Detroit Tigers +220
Team Odds
Chicago White Sox +220
Atlanta Braves -260
Team Odds
Baltimore Orioles -110
Kansas City Royals +110
Team Odds
Cincinnati Reds +135
St. Louis Cardinals -155
Team Odds
Boston Red Sox -125
Los Angeles Angels +105
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