Major League Baseball on Friday night and I will have a Free Pick in the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland A’s, which will be played at O.Co Coliseum in Oakland. First pitch is scheduled for a 10:05 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised locally.
Betting Odds
Royals +113
Oakland -123
Over/ Under: 7 O -120
This is game 1 of a 3 game series between these American League foes. The Royals are playing good ball again as they have won 7 of their last 10 games and just took 2 of 3 in Seattle. The Royals have the best record in the AL and hold a 3.5 game lead over Minnesota in the Central. The A's are really starting to play good ball and have become a serious threat in the AL West, as they have now won 5 in a row and 9 of their last 11 games after completing a 3 game sweep in Texas. The A's still have work to do as they are still 8.5 games behind Houston in the division, but they are a team to watch. The Royals rank 8th in scoring (4.39 rpg), while on the mound they are 6th in ERA (3.54). Oakland ranks 6th in scoring (4.48 rpg), while on the mound they are 6th in ERA (3.57).
Trend for this game include: The Royals are 43-18 in their last 61 games vs. a right-handed starter, 40-18 in their last 58 during game 1 of a series and 8-1 in Volquez's last 9 starts. The A's are 9-2 in their last 11 games vs. a right-handed starter and 8-2 in their last 10 games as a favorite, but just 7-16 in their last 23 games vs the AL Central.
Getting the ball for Kansas City tonight will be Edinson Volquez, who is 7-4 with a 3.33 ERA in 14 starts this year, while on the road he are 2-2 with a 3.50 ERA. Edinson is 1-2 with a 4.20 ERA in 3 career starts vs the A's.
Toeing the rubber for the A’s tonight will be Jesse Hahn, who has gone 5-5 with a 3.40 ERA in 14 starts this year, while at home he has gone 2-2 with a 3.10 ERA. Jesse beat the Royals 5-0 earlier in the year, allowing just 3 hits in 5.1 innings of work in that game. That is his only appearance vs the Royals in his career.
Pick: The A's are hot right now and I will ride them in this game. Jesse Hahn already beat the Royals this year and that was when the A's weren't playing all that well. Oakland is at this moment as they have won 9 of their last 11 games and they are also 5-2 in their last 7 at home vs the Royals. The A's have not played well at home, while KC has played well on the road, but I see that reversing in this game as Oakland continues to play well, grabbing game 1 of this series.
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In Defense of Pete Rose
A recent ESPN Outside the Lines piece revealed Pete Rose did more than just bet on baseball--he bet on the Cincinnati Reds aka the Big Red Machine during hist stint as player/manager. Since Rose never bet against his baseball team, pro bettors Teddy Covers and Steve Fezzik come to his defense, pointing out he never fixed games like, say, the Chicago Black Sox did. Comparing to other athletes who bet on sports, his lifetime ban from baseball and the Hall of Fame seems pretty harsh compared to the one-year ban of football player Alex Karas. In short, the sports world is being way too harsh on one of the great players of the game.