After a strong start to the year, the Los Angeles Angels have faded into the group of also-rans in the American League while the Oakland Athletics took the opposite path sailing along for the first part of the season before their recent hot spell. The A’s will look to keep the good times rolling when they roll into Anaheim to start a three-game series on Friday. To kick off the series, Oakland will turn to Brett Anderson while Felix Pena gets the nod for the Angels.
First pitch for the game between the Athletics and Angels is scheduled for Friday, August 10, 2018, at 10:07 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium. The matchup will be shown locally.
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Odds Analysis
The Athletics are 12-4 in their last 16 games and 33-9 since the middle of June. Oakland is as hot a team as there is, but they haven’t been great this year against the Angels, losing six of their 10 previous meetings.
While Los Angeles has the edge in head-to-head record, the Angels are just 3-6 in their last nine games and have been hovering around the .500 mark for most of this season following a good start.
Offensively, the A’s have a bit of an edge, too. Oakland has a .750 team OPS compared to .740 for the Angels and have scored 15 more runs in one less game. The Angels have hit one more homer, but the A’s have a clear edge in doubles.
Since the All-Star break, the Angels have scored more runs, but the A’s have the better OPS at .821.
Oakland’s offense is certainly thriving over the last couple months as the team’s gone on a run. Stephen Piscotty has been part of that. After a slow start to the year with a lot on his mind, he’s had a nice few months.
Meanwhile, Khris Davis continues to rake. He’s slammed 32 homers and driven in 88 while Matt Olson and Matt Chapman have quietly been one of the most effective pair of corner infielders in the AL. Between them, Chad Pinder, Mark Cahna and host of others, this is a team that continues to pass the baton and finds ways to score as a team.
As for the Angels, most of the offense falls on the shoulders of Mike Trout, if healthy. If Trout doesn’t play, that’s a big hit, leaving Justin Upton and Andrelton Simmons to carry the weight of the offense.
Probable Pitchers
Brett Anderson is back for his second tour of duty in Oakland as the southpaw made his Major League debut with the A’s.
The veteran lefty could never stay healthy in his younger days and has had a spotty career with plenty of recent struggles despite the strong stuff. Since rejoining the A’s, Anderson has been solid. He’s just 2-3 in his nine starts but has a respectable 4.64 ERA though his WHIP is a bit high at 1.477 and his FIP is 4.91. In his 42.2 innings of work, he’s only struck out 22 batters though he’s only walked 11. He relies heavily on his defense tough he’s also allowed six homers and no defense can defend that.
Anderson is coming off his best start of the season having thrown seven scoreless innings against the Tigers. It’s unlikely Anderson will replicate that level of success this time out, however, as it was the first time in a month an A’s starter went seven innings and the first time he went seven innings all year.
In addition to his last start, Anderson has two quality starts in his last three outings.
On the other side of this matchup, Felix Pena is getting a chance to start for the Angels because of all the injuries Los Angeles has suffered in the pitching staff.
The Angels’ 28-year old right-hander is getting a chance to start for the first time at the big-league level. He pitched out of the pen earlier this year including throwing an inning against Oakland. He allowed one run in that outing.
Pena threw five no-hit innings in his last start before he eventually allowed two runs in the sixth inning and took the loss after throwing 5.1 innings against the Indians.
Overall, Pena’s numbers are not great. He’s 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA and 1.439 WHIP in 38 innings of work. He’s striking out more than Anderson with an 8.5 strikeout per nine innings. He, however, is also walking a lot more batters.
If you break it down, Pena has been much better than the numbers. He had a terrible outing the time before last, allowing seven runs while only getting a single out against the Mariners. An outing like that really inflates the overall numbers in such a small sample size.
Live Betting
With the A’s offense and strong defense, they’re do what they can to support Anderson both in runs and preventing them.
For the Angels, it’s important to try and score on Anderson before the ball turns over to the bullpen. The A’s have the advantage in the pen where they have a 3.29 cumulative ERA. For comparison, the Angels’ bullpen has pitched to a 3.72 mark.
Los Angeles has gotten good production from Blake Parker who slid into the closer’s role with great success. Cam Bedrosian is another good arm, but the A’s have been truly dominant.
For Oakland, Blake Treinen has been an All-Star closer with a 0.95 ERA and 28 saves in 57 innings of work. And he’s not the only closer on the team. Jeurys Familia is a former All-Star closer for the Mets and has thrown nine innings without an earned run since coming over from New York.
Between Treinen, Familia and Lou Trivino, who has a 1.16 ERA, if Anderson gets through six innings with the lead, this game is as good as over.
MLB Pick
The Athletics are red hot right now and seem nearly unstoppable. While the rotation is the weak link, the starters don’t need to go deep given the strength of the bullpen.
Look for Anderson to use his strong defense behind him to get into the sixth inning with a lead before turning the ball over to a deep, shutdown bullpen. On the other side, look for a good outing from Pena who came up short in his last start and figures to suffer the same fate on Friday.
Offensively, a lot depends on the health of Mike Trout, but even with him, the Angels likely come up a bit short. The A’s bats are a bit deeper than the Angels and can do more things at the plate.
MLB Odds: Athletics 6, Angels 3
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