In the third of a four-game series between the Oakland Athletics (50-63) and the Baltimore Orioles (63-49) at O.C. Coliseum, Ross Detwiler (0-0, 5.79 ERA) and Yovani Gallardo (4-3, 5.47 ERA) take the mound. The Athletics won the last game 2-1, and Oakland leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 10:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 10 and will air on MASN and CSCA.
Danny Valencia (.290, 47 Rs, 14 HRs, 40 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one RBI. The Orioles were victorious the last time Gallardo pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing two runs, striking out three and walking one in a 7-5 victory over the White Sox.
Oakland is a +133 underdog in this game, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at nine runs. When playing as the underdog, the Athletics have a 33-41 record and overall money line at -1,087. Oakland has averaged 3.0 runs per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 4.0. Don’t expect the Oakland hitters to swing wildly in their own ballpark. They average only 6.5 strikeouts per home game.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Orioles come into this game with a solid win percentage of .689 when playing as the favorite (42-19) and an overall money line of +1,386. The Orioles rank fifth in the AL in scoring, averaging 4.7 runs per game. Baltimore is one of the top hitting teams in the AL with an average of 9.1 hits per contest.
The Athletics are 3-2 against the Orioles this season. The Athletics will take on a right-hander (Gallardo) in this game and have a 37-46 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Orioles will be the left-hander Detwiler. They sport a 17-13 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – BAL, O/U – Over
Notes
Oakland has won 41% (18-26) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Baltimore has won 62% (29-18) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Orioles are going to have to step it up if they want to win this matchup. The Athletics have a 15-0 record in games where opponents scored one run or less.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 12-51. The Orioles have a 17-37 record when opponents outhit them.
Baltimore tops the league in home runs this season with 170. Oakland ranks in the bottom half with 122.
Ranking 10th, Oakland is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.49 per game. Baltimore ranks in the top five at fourth with 9.05.
Ranking 27th, Oakland is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.705). Baltimore ranks in the top five with an OPS of .772.
When the Orioles allow at least one home run, they are 36-38. When the Athletics allow one or more homers, they have a 24-51 record.
