Friday night baseball and we will see the Oakland A's travel to Angel Stadium to take on the LA Angels in game 1 of their 3 game series. Free Pick to follow. First pitch is scheduled for a 10:05 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised locally.
Betting Odds
Oakland +109
Los Angeles -119
Over/ Under: 7.5 U -125
The Oakland A's come in to this game off a 2 game home sweep of the Rangers, but still they are not having a good year as they are 9.5 games behind the Astros and in last place in the AL West. The Angels Angels have not been playing great ball at the moment as they have won just 2 of their last 8 games, but they did just take 2 of 3 games in Tampa Bay. The Angels have a .500 reacod and are in 3rd place in the AL West. The A's rank 13th in scoring (4.21 rpg), while on the mound they are 8th in ERA (3.66). The Angels rank 22nd in scoring (3.98 rpg), while on the mound they are 15th in ERA (3.85).
Trends for this game include: The A's are just 10-28 in their last 38 games as a road underdog, 5-17 in their last 22 road games vs. a left-handed starter and 3-9 their last 12 games in LA. The Halos have gone 16-5 in their last 21 games as a home favorite of -110 to -150 and 39-15 in their last 54 home games vs. a team with a losing road record, but just 2-7 in their last 9 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15.
Getting the ball for the A's tonight will be Jesse Chavez, who is 2-6 with a 2.51 ERA in 13 games (9 starts) this year while at home he is 1-2 with a 1.64 ERA in 6 games (4 starts) this year. Jesse has faced the Halos twice this year and he is 0-2 with a 4.09 ERA in those starts.
Taking the hill for Los Angeles tonight will be Hector Santiago, who is 4-3 with a 2.55 ERA on the year, while at home he has gone 2-1 with a 2.40 ERA. Hector has gone 3-2 with a 1.91 ERA in 8 games (6 starts) vs the A’s in his career.
Pick: I will be going with the Halos in this game. I know they just played on the East Coast yesterday, but this is still the better team here and they have the better starter on the mound. Hector Santiago has very good numbers vs the A's, while Chavez has gone 0-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 2 starts vs the Halos this year. I look for the Angels to get back over the .500 level after tonight's win.
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Stop the All-Star Game Ballot Stuffing
Pro handicappers Teddy Covers and Steve Fezzik have a bone to pick with MLB Commisioner Bud Selig, who decided the All-Star exhibition game will determine World Series home field advantage. With Royals fans currently voting seven Kansas City players into the starting line up of the American League team, this popularity-based roster of an exhibition game which has way too much impact on the most important baseball series of the year.