Scott Kazmir (2-1, 2.75 ERA) is on the hill for the Oakland Athletics (12-21) as they square off against Rick Porcello (3-2, 4.38 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (14-17) in the first of a three-game series at O.C. Coliseum. The Athletics come into this series in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Action begins at 10:05 p.m. ET on Monday, May. 11 and can be seen on NESN and CSN-CA.
Kazmir is 9-8 with a 3.98 ERA in his appearances against the Red Sox, and goes up against a below-average Boston offense which is batting just .233 this season. Stephen Vogt (.340, 17 Rs, 8 HRs, 26 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 4 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Porcello is 4-5 with a 3.73 ERA when pitching against the Athletics. He takes on a good Oakland offense which is hitting .258 this season. Pablo Sandoval (.306, 15 Rs, 3 HRs, 14 RBIs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs.
Oakland is a -132 favorite against Boston and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Athletics have recorded an overall money line of -1,156 and have shown a weak performance as a favorite this season with a record of 7-13. The Athletics have no trouble scoring as they rank fifth in the AL in offense with 4.7 runs per game. The Athletics are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits with an impressive 9.2 per game.
In games where it is the underdog, Boston has a 5-6 record and an overall money line of -629. Offensively, the Red Sox have really sputtered in the last 10 games. They have decreased their season average of 4.3 runs per game by averaging 2.6 during that stretch. Boston is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 3.9 per game.
The Athletics have an 11-15 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Porcello takes the mound. Kazmir (LHP) will be on the hill against the Red Sox, who have a 3-3 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
The Red Sox are 1-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Athletics are 0-5 in such matchups.
The Red Sox managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Athletics who are heading in with a 5-5 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Athletics are 10-5. The Red Sox have an 11-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 16th in runs, Boston has earned 135 this season. Oakland ranks third with 153 runs.
Ranking first in walks, Boston has earned 120 this season. Oakland ranks 16th with 92 walks.
The Athletics are 9-10 when they hit at least one home run. The Red Sox perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 10-11 record.
