Hector Santiago (1-1, 2.92 ERA) and Drew Pomeranz (1-1, 3.00 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a four-game series between the Los Angeles Angels (5-8) and the Oakland Athletics (7-7) at Angel Stadium. The Athletics won the last game 6-3 and Oakland leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 10:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Apr. 21 and can be seen on CSN-CA and FSN-W.
Santiago is 2-2 with a 1.99 ERA in his appearances against the Athletics, but goes up against a good Oakland offense which is batting .278 this season. Mike Trout (.354, 11 Rs, 3 HRs, 9 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with two runs and one stolen base. Pomeranz is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA against the Angels in his career. He takes on a below-average Los Angeles offense that’s batting just .214. Billy Butler (.365, 8 Rs, 1 HR, 7 RBIs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 3 yesterday.
Los Angeles is a -125 favorite against Oakland and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Angels have recorded an overall money line of -292 and have shown a weak performance as a favorite this season with a record of 3-5. The Angels are the fourth-best team in the AL at limiting walks during home games, allowing only 2.3 walks per game to their opponents this season.
Over in the other dugout, in contrast to a worrisome overall money line (-264), Oakland has an impressive 3-2 record when playing as the underdog. They are 2-2 as the underdog against fellow AL West members, and 5-5 SU. The Athletics have a dynamic offense, ranking second in the league with 49 extra base hits. Oakland’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL at pitching on the road, with a 3.00 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Athletics are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.06 for the season.
The Athletics have the edge in the season series, 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
Oakland recorded at least two errors for the third time this season.
In extra innings, the Athletics are 0-2.
The Athletics managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Angels who are heading in with a 2-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Athletics are 6-2. The Angels have a 4-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 21st in runs, Los Angeles has earned 46 this season. Oakland ranks second with 73 runs.
Ranking 19th, Los Angeles is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 35 this season. Oakland ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 42.
The Angels are 4-5 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Athletics are 5-1 when they hit at least one homer.
