Jesse Hahn (4-5, 3.62 ERA) and Jered Weaver (4-7, 4.65 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Oakland Athletics (29-41) and the Los Angeles Angels (35-33) at O.C. Coliseum. The Angels won the last game 12-7 and Los Angeles leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 20 and can be seen on FSN-W and CSN-CA.
Hahn pitched 6.2 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run, striking out four and walking two in a 9-1 win over the Padres. Stephen Vogt (.283, 33 Rs, 13 HRs, 50 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs, one home run, and three RBIs. Weaver is 13-10 with a 2.64 ERA against the Athletics in his career. He is up against a good Oakland offense that’s batting .258. Albert Pujols (.273, 41 Rs, 20 HRs, 42 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 5 yesterday with three runs, one home run, and five RBIs.
Oakland is a -133 favorite against Los Angeles and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Athletics have an overall money line of -1,769 and a record as the favorite of 18-23. Oakland has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 9-12 and 14-21 as the favorite and SU respectively. The Athletics have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.7 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.4 runs per game. Oakland’s batters do not strike out very often at home, with only 5.9 per game. Crossing over to the pitching and defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Athletics. The 3.9 runs that Oakland’s pitchers allow per game makes them the fourth-ranked staff in the AL. The Athletics are the fifth-best team in the AL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 8.0 hits per game so far this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Los Angeles has a 13-16 record and an overall money line of -269. Despite an underwhelming record as the underdog against AL West opponents (4-5), they pulled off an impressive 17-12 SU record. The Angels average 3.9 runs allowed per game, but does better whenever another team from the AL West is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average down to 3.5 against division foes. When it comes to issuing walks on the road, the Angels have the fewest in the AL with only 2.4 walks allowed per game.
The Angels lead the season series, 7-4. The Athletics have a 26-27 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Weaver takes the mound. Hahn (RHP) will be on the hill against the Angels, who have a 26-28 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
Oakland recorded at least two errors for the 14th time this season.
When the Angels play into extra innings, they have a 1-3 record. The Athletics are 0-6 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Angels are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 12 runs. The Athletics have a 0-3 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 5-27. The Angels have a 7-23 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 15th in home runs, Oakland has hit 61 this season. Los Angeles ranks eighth with 71 home runs.
Ranking 13th, Los Angeles is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.97 per game. Oakland ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.96.
Ranking 22nd, Los Angeles is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.691). Oakland ranks in the top half at 13th with an OPS of .719.
The Angels are 15-28 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Athletics are 7-28 when they allow at least one homer.
