The A’s took the series opener on Thursday, 4-0, as they finally quieted the bat of Shohei Ohtani. Oakland sends All-Star RHP Chris Bassitt (10-3, 3.46) to the mound against Angels LHP Patrick Sandoval (3-4, 3.52).
Oakland Rolling Into Marte Era
The A’s enter the weekend in second place in the AL West, 5 ½ games behind Houston. They hold the second Wild Card spot but 2 ½ games and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Marte made his debut Thursday with a walk, single, stolen base, and run scored while batting second in the lineup.
Oakland’s offense was quiet after the first inning on Thursday, but they scored all the runs they needed, with three in the top of the first. Ramon Laureano delivered a two-run double after Jed Lowrie’s RBI single. Frankie Montas was spectacular on the mound with 10 strikeouts over seven shutout innings.
Bassitt has made two starts since the All-Star break allowing a combined seven runs over 12 innings with a loss and a no-decision. He beat the Angels twice in May with a combined 17 strikeouts and two runs allowed over 16 ⅔ innings. The second win was a complete game shutout at home on May 27.
Angels Need to be More than Ohtani
The Angels are still waiting to get superstar Mike Trout back on the field as they are back to .500 after Thursday’s loss. Joe Maddon’s squad sits in fourth place in the AL West, 11 ½ games behind Houston and six games behind the A’s for the final Wild Card spot.
The Angels had just three hits on Thursday with singles from Jose Iglesias, Adam Eaton, and Max Stassi. The A’s pitched around Ohtani, who walked three times after homering in two straight games against Colorado. The Japanese sensation leads the Majors with 37 home runs, and he’s batting .279 with 81 RBI.
Sandoval turned in his best career start on Saturday as he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning at Minnesota. He settled for a win with one hit and one run allowed over 8 ⅔ innings as he struck out a career-high 13.
Sandoval went head-to-head against Bassitt twice in May and took one loss with one no-decision. In those two starts against Oakland, he allowed just two earned runs on nine hits over 10 innings while striking out seven and walking four.
Betting Analysis
Oakland ML -125. -1.5 runs (+125)
LA Angels ML +105 +1.5 runs (-145)
Total: 8.5 runs. Over -110. Under -110
The A’s are 7-3 against the Angels this season, with a 3-1 mark in Southern California. Both offenses struggled on Thursday in the opener, and the pitching matchup is better on Friday night as both hurlers have had success against the other lineup. The Angels will look to get Ohtani back on track but look for the runs to be at a premium.
FREE PICK: Under 8.5 runs (-110)