How to Watch Monday's Rays Game With the A's: Gametimes, Lineups, Pregame Chatter

Luis Patino has a new number — No. 1 on his Tampa Bay Rays uniform — and he's first up on Monday night when the Rays take on the Oakland A's at Tropicana Field. They're looking to go 4-0 after sweeping Baltimore, something they've never done in franchise history.

Author:
Tom Brew
Updated:
Apr 11, 2022 3:55 PM EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay's starting pitching has been excellent through three wins and 13 innings thus far, and now it's on Luis Patino to continue the hot start for the Rays' rotation.

The 22-year-old Colombian gets the ball on Monday night when the Rays take on the Oakland A's, with an earlier-than-usual 6:40 p.m. ET start that's something new this year. Patino is hoping to help Tampa Bay go 4-0 on the season, something they've never done in the 25-year history of the franchise.

Patino has switched jersey numbers for his first start, going to No. 1 after wearing No. 61 a year ago. He jumped at No. 1 for several reasons. Willy Adames wore it last year before being traded to Milwaukee last summer.

Patino said he father's birthday is on the first, and he also said he had a lot of respect for Adames and “the way he went about his business,” Patiño said through interpreter Manny Navarro. It also says something about his own work ethic,'' he said.

“Just to always be first, always try to keep that number in mind, to always think about being disciplined and having that opportunity to do what I can do,” he said.

Patino dealt with some minor shoulder issues during the spring, but he says he's worked through it all and is ready to go.

“I feel really good,'' he said. "Thankfully, my shoulder feels good, body feels good. Everything just feels good physically, and I think I’m mentally ready for (Monday). I think I’ve prepared how I need to prepare for it.”

Here's how to watch Monday's game, with gametime and TV information, the latest on the betting line, lineups, bios and some newsy nuggets:

How to watch Athletics vs. Rays

Who: Oakland Athletics (1-2) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (3-0)
When: 6:40 p.m. ET, Monday, April 11
Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
TV: Bally Sports Sun
Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Announcers: Dewayne Staats (play-by-play), Brian Anderson (color commentary) and Tricia Whitaker (in-game reporter).
Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM; SiriusXM Channel 180
Announcers: Andy Freed and Dave Wills.
Latest Line: Tampa Bay is at minus-225 on the money line according to the SISportsbook.com website opening line as of Sunday morning. Baltimore is plus-188. The over/under is 8.5.

Athletics-Rays history

Athletics vs. Rays all-time series history: Oakland holds a 113-80 edge in the series dating back to 1998. The Rays are just 46-51 at Tropicana Field. Last year, Tampa Bay went 3-4. They split a series 2-2 in St. Petersburg from April 26-29, and the A's won two of three from May 7-9 in Oakland.
Orioles vs. Rays last meeting: The Rays won 4-3 on May 9, 2021 in Oakland. Jeffrey Springs pitched a scoreless fifth inning and got the win as the Rays' bullpen pitched four scoreless innings, allowing just three hits. Willie Adames hit a three-run homer for Tampa Bay and Mike Broussard hit a solo shot.

Athletics-Rays last game

Athletics' last game: Oakland avoided a sweep by beating the Phillies 4-1 on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. Starter Daulton Jeffries got the win, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just two hits. Second baseman Tony Kemp had three hits and two RBI and outfielder Billy McKinney hit a home run.
Rays' last game: The Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-0 on Sunday at Tropicana Field to complete a sweep of the season-opening series. Corey Kluber started and pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings, and Wander Franco had his second three-hit game of the season. Brandon Lowe also had a two-run homer.

Meet the Athletics-Rays managers

Meet Athletics manager Mark Kotsay: Mark Kotsay is in his first season as a major-league manager. He played 17 seasons in the big leagues from 1997 to 2013, and was a first-round pick (ninth overall) of the Miami Marlins in the 1996 MLB Draft. He played with seven different teams, and has been an assistant coach with the A's since 2015. Kotsay is 1-2 this season.
Meet Rays manager Kevin Cash: Kevin Cash is starting his eighth season as manager of the Rays. He has been named AL Manager of the Year each of the past two seasons. He has a 557-478 record with the Rays, and his .538 winning percent is the best in Rays history. He is the second-longest-tenured manager in baseball behind Cleveland's Terry Francona. Cash is 3-0 this season.

Projected starting pitchers

Athletics right-hander Paul Blackburn: Paul Blackburn has been with Oakland since 2017, but he has only appeared in 30 games, starting 27. He has a career record of 6-11 with a 5.74 ERA. He has never pitched against the Rays. The 28-year-old Blackburn is from Antioch, Calif.
Rays right-hander Luis Patino: Luis Patino is a 22-year-old right-hander from Colombia who joined the Rays last year after starting his career in San Diego in 2020. He appeared in 19 games a year ago, starting 15. He was 5-3 with a 4.31 ERA. He is making his first appearance of the season.

Projected lineups

Athletics lineup: Tony Kemp 2B, Elvis Andrus SS, Billy McKinney 1B, Sean Murphy C, Seth Brown RF, Chad Pinder LF, Stephen Vogt DH, Sheldon Neuse 3B, Christian Pache CF, Paul Blackburn P.

Rays lineup: Brandon Lowe DH, Wander Franco SS, Yandy Diaz 3B, Ji-Man Choi 1B, Josh Lowe RF, Francisco Mejia C, Kevin Kiermaier CF, Taylor Walls 2B, Brett Phillips RF, Luis Patino P.

Nuggets to know

Nuggets to know, Part 1: The Rays are 3-0, and are the only unbeaten team in baseball after just one weekend. They have been 3-0 twice before in franchise history after sweeping the New York Yankees in 2012 and the Detroit Tigers in 2002. They have never started 4-0.
Nuggets to know, Part 2: Rays starter Luis Patino has switched to No. 1 from No. 61 for the start of the season. Willie Adames last wore it. Patino joked that he wanted No. 16, which is worn by manager Kevin Cash, but was told no by management. Cash doesn't wear a uniform top often, so he didn't really carer either way.. “If he wants to go win a Cy Young, he can have it,'' Cash said with a laugh
Nuggets to know, Part 3: The Rays have allowed only four runs through three games so far this season, by far the best start ever. The previous mark was eight runs in the first three games, set several times.
Nuggets to know, Part 4: There is an early start tonight, as the Rays experiment with a first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. Cash actually likes the idea. "In reality, it gets everybody home a half-hour earlier, so I'm fine with that,'' he said.

RAYS SWEEP ORIOLES: The Tampa Bay Rays struck for four runs in both the second and seventh innings and got a solid start from veteran newcomer Corey Kluber to beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-0 on Sunday, sweeping the series. It's only the third time in franchise history that the Rays have started 3-0. CLICK HERE
MEJIA STARS IN RAYS' WIN SATURDAY: For the second straight day, backup catcher Francisco Mejia has been the hitting star for the Tampa Bay Rays. He led off the scoring with an RBI single, then hit a two-run home run to help the Rays get a 5-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. CLICK HERE
RAYS BEAT ORIOLES IN OPENER: The Tampa Bay Rays showed many of their best traits on Friday, beating the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in front of a sellout crowd at Tropicana Field. They got four-plus shutout innings from starter Shane McClanahan, scratched out the go-ahead run in the eighth with several great at-bats and rode a bullpen to the finish line. CLICK HERE
RAYS 2022 SCHEDULE: Here is the complete Tampa Bay Rays schedule for the 2022 season, with dates, locations and game times. This will be updated constantly with results and links to game stories, plus any adjustments to the schedule will be made here in real time as well, so bookmark this story and refer to it often. CLICK HERE