The Oakland Athletics will take on the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday afternoon. The Angels beat the Athletics 5-1 on Tuesday to improve to 48-63. Oakland is now 41-70 following their fourth straight defeat. Oakland has now gone 14-37 in their previous 51 games at RingCentral Coliseum. The Angels have now won six of their past eight road contests.
"Just another Tuesday night for Shohei Ohtani" - Angels
Paul Blackburn will be taking the hill Wednesday for the Athletics. He is 7-6 with a 4.28 ERA through 21 starts. In his last two starts, the right-hander has been solid, surrendering just four earned runs in his last 10 innings.
Blackburn was named to his first All-Star game in July, but his ERA has ballooned since that announcement. He also struggled last time facing L.A. Just last week, he allowed four runs, all on solo homers in five innings of work. If Blackburn can keep the ball in the park this time around, he should be in fine shape.
Los Angeles will start Touki Toussaint for Wednesday's matchup. He'll be making his first start of the season, and his third appearance overall. Oakland's offense averages 2.9 runs per game in their last seven, and they don't have enough talent to score consistently.
They've had trouble putting runs up at home too, which makes sense considering their ballpark's dimensions. The Angels scored five on Tuesday, which has become a rare sight. Look for Toussaint to have a decent outing against a really weak lineup.
Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels Match Details
Fixture: Los Angeles Angels @ Oakland Athletics
Date & Time: Wednesday, August 10, 3:37 p.m. EDT
Venue: RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland, California
Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels Betting Odds
Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels Best Picks
In his career versus Blackburn, Shohei Ohtani has gone 4-for-8, including a home run. Also, versus righties, he has a .555 SLG and .919 OPS this season. He went deep last night while recording the win on the mound, so expect him to stay in a nice groove at the plate.
"It's Shohei Ohtani's world and we're all just living in it" - Angels
Pick: Shohei Ohtani Over 1.5 Total Bases (+120)
Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels Betting Prediction
The Athletics are on a four-game losing streak that they'll look to halt on Wednesday at home. It won't be easy, though, as they struggle to muster offense. As a result, six of their previous eight meetings with the Angels at home have gone under. Expect the Angels to hang tough through the first five. Also, expect the A's to score three or fewer runs in the final game of this series.
Prediction: Angels First 5 Innings +0.5 (-135) & Athletics Team Total Under 3.5 (+105)