LA Angels (74-76) at Oakland (90-60)
When: Tuesday, September 18th 2018
Where: Oakland Coliseum,
Oakland, California
Time: 10:05 ET | TV: FS West,
NBCS California
Opening Odds: Oakland -140/8.5
The Oakland Athletics can rest assured that they will be playing at least one game in this year’s postseason, but they would like that game to be at the Oakland Coliseum rather than Yankee Stadium. The A’s start the final two weeks of the season 1.5 games behind New York for the top AL Wild Card spot, and will entertain the Los Angeles Angels for the first of three Tuesday night. Oakland had a chance to pass the Yankees this weekend after winning eight of nine, but dropped their last two in St. Petersburg to the Tampa Bay Rays. The American League West race has Houston 4.5 games up on Oakland, but that seems a little too much to make up. Los Angeles sits in fourth place in the West, but will play a big part in the postseason race with nine of their remaining 12 games against Houston and Oakland. The Angels, who avoided a four-game sweep against the Seattle Mariners with a win on Sunday, will welcome left-hander Tyler Skaggs back to the rotation on Tuesday. Oakland will go with a bullpen game and trot out Liam Hendriks to start. Los Angeles DH Shohei Ohtani tweaked his left ankle in the eighth inning on Sunday but is not expected to miss time.
Pitchers: Angels – Tyler Skaggs (8-8, 3.78 ERA) | Athletics – Liam Hendriks (0-1, 5.60)
Skaggs was arguably the best pitcher on this staff until a couple of horrific starts and a groin injury sidelined him after an August 11th start against Oakland. In his last two starts against the A’s and Rays, he allowed a total of 17 runs and 18 hits in 6.2 innings. Skaggs boasts 123 strikeouts in 116.2 innings this season and was carrying a 2.62 ERA prior to his last two outings. He was strong at the Oakland Coliseum on June 15th, when he surrendered two unearned runs and struck out eight in seven innings to earn a win.
Hendriks will get his sixth start in seven appearances this month as part of Oakland’s bullpen game and has not allowed a run in any of his last five appearances, surrendering a total of two hits while striking out four over five innings during that span. Hendriks is making his fifth appearance of the season against the Angels and totaled one run allowed and three hits across 2.2 innings over the first four.
I’m staying away from Skaggs until he gets a few starts under his belt and some confidence back. The Angels would love to play spoiler, but they just dropped three of four against the fading Mariners, and won’t be able to keep up with the Oakland offense tonight.
Pick: A’s -142
BETTING TRENDS:
- Angels are 4-0 in their last 4 road games.
- Angels are 5-2 in their last 7 when their opponent allows 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Angels are 5-2 in their last 7 games vs. a right-handed starter.
- Angels are 10-21 in their last 31 games following an off day.
- Angels are 17-37 in their last 54 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Angels are 6-20 in their last 26 road games vs. a team with a winning record.
- Angels are 2-10 in their last 12 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
- Angels are 9-3 in Skaggs’ last 12 starts vs. American League West.
- Angels are 6-2 in Skaggs’ last 8 road starts vs. a team with a winning record.
- Angels are 2-5 in Skaggs’ last 7 starts when their opponent allows 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Angels are 1-4 in Skaggs’ last 5 starts vs. a team with a winning record.
- Angels are 1-5 in Skaggs’ last 6 starts during game 1 of a series.
- Angels are 0-4 in Skaggs’ last 4 starts following an outing of less than 4 innings in his last appearance.
- Athletics are 4-0 in their last 4 during game 1 of a series.
- Athletics are 23-5 in their last 28 after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Athletics are 46-11 in their last 57 vs. a team with a losing record.
- Athletics are 4-1 in their last 5 Tuesday games.
- Athletics are 22-7 in their last 29 home games.
- Athletics are 19-7 in their last 26 games following a loss.
- Athletics are 13-5 in their last 18 home games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Athletics are 23-9 in their last 32 vs. American League West.
- Athletics are 55-22 in their last 77 games on grass.
- Athletics are 37-15 in their last 52 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
- Athletics are 22-9 in their last 31 games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Athletics are 39-16 in their last 55 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.
- Athletics are 56-24 in their last 80 overall.
- Athletics are 45-20 in their last 65 home games vs. a team with a losing record.
- Under is 4-1 in Angels last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning record.
- Under is 4-1 in Angels last 5 during game 1 of a series.
- Under is 6-2 in Angels last 8 when their opponent allows 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Under is 6-2 in Angels last 8 overall.
- Under is 6-2 in Angels last 8 on grass.
- Under is 11-4 in Angels last 15 vs. American League West.
- Under is 8-3 in Angels last 11 road games.
- Under is 33-15-3 in Angels last 51 games following a win.
- Under is 4-0-1 in Skaggs’ last 5 starts following an outing of less than 4 innings in his last appearance.
- Over is 5-1-1 in Skaggs’ last 7 Tuesday starts.
- Over is 7-3 in Skaggs’ last 10 starts during game 1 of a series.
- Under is 7-0 in Athletics last 7 Tuesday games.
- Over is 4-0 in Athletics last 4 home games.
- Over is 6-0 in Athletics last 6 vs. American League West.
- Under is 6-1 in Athletics last 7 games following an off day.
- Over is 6-1 in Athletics last 7 after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Over is 4-1 in Athletics last 5 home games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Over is 4-1 in Athletics last 5 games following a loss.
- Over is 4-1 in Athletics last 5 games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Over is 9-3 in Athletics last 12 on grass.
- Over is 11-4 in Athletics last 15 overall.
- Under is 18-7 in Athletics last 25 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.
- Over is 4-1 in Hendriks’ last 5 starts overall.
- Over is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings in Oakland.
- Under is 5-1 in Skaggs’ last 6 starts vs. Athletics.
- Over is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings.
- Angels are 2-5 in Skaggs’ last 7 starts vs. Athletics.
- Angels are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings.
