In the first of a four-game series between the Oakland Athletics (48-63) and the Baltimore Orioles (63-47) at O.C. Coliseum, Kendall Graveman (7-7, 4.46 ERA) and Kevin Gausman (3-8, 4.08 ERA) take the mound. The game starts at 10:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 8 and will air on MASN and CSCA.
In his most recent outing, Graveman pitched 4.0 innings, giving up six runs, striking out three and walking one in an 8-6 loss to the Angels. The Orioles were victorious the last time Gausman pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing two runs, striking out seven and walking one in a 3-2 victory over the Rangers. Mark Trumbo (.267, 61 Rs, 31 HRs, 77 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Oakland is a +137 underdog in this game, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Athletics are 32-41 as the underdog and have an overall money line of -1,223. Don’t expect the Oakland hitters to swing wildly in their own ballpark. They average only 6.5 strikeouts per home game.
Switching to the opposing dugout, the Orioles come into this game with a solid win percentage of .700 when playing as the favorite (42-18) and an overall money line of +1,532. They sport the fifth-ranked offense in the AL, averaging 4.8 runs per game. Baltimore is one of the top hitting teams in the AL with an average of 9.1 hits per contest.
In their previous three games this season, the Orioles have a 2-1 record. The Athletics will take on a right-hander (Gausman) in this game and have a 36-46 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Orioles will be the right-hander Graveman. They sport a 46-34 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – BAL, O/U – Over
Notes
Having scored one run in their last game, the Athletics are going to have to step it up if they want to win this matchup. The Orioles have a 17-0 record in games where opponents scored one run or less.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 12-51. The Orioles have a 17-36 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking first in home runs, Baltimore has hit 168 this season. Oakland ranks 20th with 121 home runs.
Ranking 10th, Oakland is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.55 per game. Baltimore ranks in the top five with 9.05.
Ranking 27th, Oakland is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.706). Baltimore ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .777.
When the Orioles allow at least one home run, they are 36-37. When the Athletics allow one or more homers, they have a 22-51 record.
