Jesse Hahn (5-6, 3.47 ERA) and the Oakland Athletics (35-45) meet Chad Bettis (4-2, 3.56 ERA) and the Colorado Rockies (34-43) in the last of a three-game interleague series at O.C. Coliseum. The Rockies won the last game 2-1 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game gets underway at 3:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jul. 1 and will air on ROOT-RM and CSN-CA.
Hahn has a 5.68 ERA and a 0-1 record in his career against the Rockies, and is up against a solid Colorado offense that’s hitting .269 on the year. The Rockies were victorious the last time Bettis pitched. He tossed, going 6.0 innings, giving up three runs, striking out three and walking two in an 8-6 victory over the Giants. Nolan Arenado (.292, 49 Rs, 24 HRs, 68 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Oakland, a -160 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Colorado. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is seven runs. The Athletics are 23-27 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -1,712. They have performed well against the NL to earn an SU record of 4-1 and a 2-1 record when they were the favorite. The Athletics have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire AL, averaging 4.5 runs per game. The Athletics are a superb hitting team with 9.0 hits per game, one of the highest marks in the AL. The Athletics typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an impressive 3.1 walks per game. As for the pitching staff, the Athletics rank second in the NL in home ERA with a 3.12 team average. The Athletics are third in the AL in hits allowed at home with just 7.8 per game.
Switching gears, the Rockies come into this game with a win percentage of .473 when playing as the underdog (26-29) and an overall money line of -664. Interleague competitors have been able to handle Colorado with ease. Over the past 10 matchups, they have not won a game and have a 0-6 record when they were an underdog to win. During the last 10 games, they averaged 6.0 runs per game, above their 4.5 season average. Colorado is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 236 extra base hits. Colorado’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play competition from the AL. They’ve allowed an average of 6.3 runs per game against teams from the AL, higher than their season average of 5.1.
The Athletics will take on a right-hander (Bettis) in this game and have a 31-31 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Hahn will take the mound against the Rockies, who have a 30-32 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Colorado is 16-17, while Oakland is 14-24.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Athletics are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Rockies have an 11-1 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Rockies are 5-31. The Athletics have a 5-30 record when opponents outhit them.
Oakland ranks in the bottom half of the league at 16th when it comes to home runs, hitting 68 this season. Colorado ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 88.
Oakland and Colorado both rank in the top five of the league in hits. Oakland sits at third with 9.03 hits per game and Colorado ranks second with 9.24.
Ranking 14th, Oakland is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.720). Colorado ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .751.
The Rockies are 15-33 when they allow at least one home run. The Athletics perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with an 11-30 record.
