Cody Martin (2-3, 5.40 ERA) and the Oakland Athletics (58-74) meet Matt Shoemaker (6-9, 4.48 ERA) and the Los Angeles Angels (65-66) in the second of a three-game division series at O.co Coliseum. The Athletics won the last game 11-5 and Oakland leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 10:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sep. 1 and will air on CSCA and FSW.
Stephen Vogt (.268, 52 Rs, 18 HRs, 67 RBIs) played well again yesterday, going 3 for 6 with two runs, one home run, and one RBI. The Angels were victorious the last time Shoemaker pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 7.1 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out five and walking one in a 2-0 victory over the Tigers. Albert Pujols (.249, 70 Rs, 34 HRs, 76 RBIs, 4 SBs) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Oakland is a slight underdog (+100) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Athletics have a losing record of 26-40 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of -2,404. They have a 25-27 record SU and are 10-12 as the underdog within their division. Oakland has averaged 4.6 runs per game during divisional play, higher than its season average of 4.1. They typically aren’t overmatched by pitchers, ranking second in the AL with an average of only 6.0 strikeouts per home game. Oakland’s pitching staff can be considered one of the best in the AL. The Athletics have a team ERA of 3.65, one of the lowest in their league. The Athletics are fourth in the AL in hits allowed with just 8.2 per game.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Angels come into this game in an interesting position. They have a negative money line (-653) but have won more than 60 percent of games played as the favorite (48-29). Against teams in their division, they are 28-23 SU and 20-11 as the favorite. During the last 10 games, they averaged 2.8 runs per game, below their 4.0 season average. Los Angeles is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 341 extra base hits. Los Angeles’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 7.6 runs per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 4.1.
The Athletics will take on a right-hander (Shoemaker) in this game and have a 46-48 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Martin will take the mound against the Angels, who have a 46-50 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAA, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Los Angeles is 32-20, while Oakland is 25-32.
The Angels managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Athletics who are heading in with a 7-3 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 8-47. The Angels have a 15-48 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 24th in home runs, Oakland has hit 107 this season. Los Angeles ranks eighth with 138 home runs.
Ranking 14th, Los Angeles is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.12 per game. Oakland ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 8.71.
Oakland and Los Angeles both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Oakland sits at 22nd with an OPS of .704 and Los Angeles ranks 25th with an OPS of .694.
When the Angels allow at least one home run, they are 32-54, well-matched with the Athletics who are 21-55 when allowing at least one homer.
