With a record of 52-40, the Oakland Athletics look to build off their first-half success and continue their push for the playoffs with a strong second half to the season. Oakland’s Chris Bassitt started the year 0-2, but hasn’t lost a game since then. Bassitt will put his 10-game winning streak on the line against the 45-42 Cleveland Indians.
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Athletics opened as -205 favorites with Bassitt (10-2) taking on a struggling Eli Morgan (1-3). The total is set at 8.5 for this contest. Heading into the all-star break, Oakland had given up only 13 runs over their last five games. Cleveland is a respectable 21-23 on the road, but has dropped five straight road contests.
Starting Pitchers Analysis
Eli Morgan last pitched for Cleveland on July 3 against the Houston Astros, giving up three earned runs in five innings of work. The rookie pitcher has struggled this season, with a 1-3 record and 8.44 ERA, but has managed to go five innings in each of his last three starts.
After starting the season 0-2, Chris Bassitt has been a dominant pitcher for the A’s, winning 10 straight decisions. Over his last seven starts, Bassitt has allowed two runs or fewer in six of them. In his last outing before the break, Bassitt shut down the Texas Rangers, giving up only one run and four hits over seven innings of work. For the season, Bassitt is 10-2 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.
Cleveland Indians News & Notes
Cleveland was a respectable three games above .500 before the all-star break, but still trail the division-leading Chicago White Sox by eight games and the Athletics by 4.5 games for the second wild-card spot.
The Indians swept the Kansas City Royals in their last three games before the break, but had dropped their previous seven games before the Kansas City series. For the season, Cleveland has a -16 run differential and are ninth in the AL in total runs scored.
Oakland Athletics News & Notes
Oakland was a very respectable 12 games above .500 before the all-star break, but still trail the Houston Astros by 3.5 games in the AL West. The Athletics currently hold down the second wild-card spot with a 3.5-game lead on the Seattle Mariners. Oakland was just 4-6 in their last 10 games before the break, but did end the first half of the season on a mini two-game winning streak.
For the year, Oakland has a +32 run differential and have only given up 13 runs in their last five games.
Betting Pick: Oakland Athletics -205
Chris Bassitt hasn’t lost since April 6, in a start against the Dodgers. Over that time, Bassitt is 10-0 in 17 starts. Bassitt last started on July 11 and is pitching on regular rest despite teams coming out of the extended all-star break. In his last seven starts, Bassitt is 5-0 with a 2.86 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.
Expect the Bassitt winning trend to continue.
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