ATHLETICS (Gray) @ DIAMONDBACKS (Anderson)
Take: ATHLETICS -117
This has been a bit of a nightmarish week for the Diamondbacks. Arizona had pushed its way above .500 and the Snakes were suddenly garnering a little attention as a possible contender in the NL West. Maybe it was just a dream after all. The D-Backs had a chance to make a big statement with the Cardinals in town for a four-game set. The Redbirds are now on their way to San Francisco with a 4-0 sweep in their pockets. As for the Diamondbacks, they’re now 8.5 out of first place in their division, and the Padres have caught them in the standings.
I think it’s going to be tough for the Diamondbacks to regroup, although I suppose the fact the A’s are in town might help some. But the wind has gone out of the Arizona sails at this point, and while there’s not likely to be any quit in this team, I don’t think this would be a great time to consider investing in the Snakes.
Making things even more difficult for the hosts tonight is the specter of Sonny Gray on the hill for Oakland. The A’s are a bad baseball team. But as is frequently the case, even lousy entries have a tendency to focus a little more when their ace is on the mound. Gray is clearly the #1 on this staff, and he figures to be tough on a team whose lineup hasn’t seen him and also is not exactly crushing the ball the last few nights.
Chase Anderson has been off an on for Arizona, and I won’t be surprised if he pitches a decent game tonight. None of the A’s have ever faced him and that is often an advantage for the pitcher. But Anderson doesn’t match up especially well head to head vs. Gray in the key categories and I give the Oakland ace a definite edge tonight.
There aren’t may spots where Oakland looks especially playable and the fact they’re road chalk here isn’t something that makes my mouth water with anticipation. But facing a pitcher of Gray’s caliber following what amounts to a disastrous outcome against the Cardinals is a bad deal for the Diamondbacks. I’ll be looking to cash a ticket with the Athletics tonight.
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