With the MLB postseason fast approaching, the Oakland Athletics look to keep the Rays at bay as they face the lowly Los Angeles Angels today. The A’s crushed the Angels 10-0 in the second game of the three-game series to keep their 5.5-game lead over Tampa in the wild-card slot. Oakland has Edwin “Journeyman” Jackson toeing the rubber and when he faced this lineup on August 11, he limited them to only three hits in a 7-0 clobbering. The Athletics opened as -135 favorites to take the series win.
- The Athletics are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games with Edwin Jackson as the starter.
- The Athletics lead MLB in runs in September with 97.
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of the Angels’ last 13 games vs the Athletics.
Angels vs Athletics Game Center
Steady Eddie Has Been Solid for the Athletics
Edwin Jackson gets the start for Oakland and although this is his 13th team in his career, he has become an essential part of the Athletics rotation, especially since Sean Manaea is out for the year. Jackson sports a 3.17 ERA in 15 starts with the A’s in 2018 and is coming off a solid outing vs the Rays where he only allowed one run on four hits in a 2-1 triumph. The last time he faced the Angels was at Angel Stadium on August 11, when he proceeded to keep their lineup in check by throwing 7.1 innings of shutout ball. Obviously, Mike Fiers is Oakland’s ace but considering Jackson’s performance this season and the fact that the A’s are 12-3 SU in his 15 starts, he can’t be discounted as just another veteran.
As for the Angels, they’re going with Matt Shoemaker, who has only started four games in 2018 and owns a 3.98 ERA from those outings. Shoemaker was handed his first loss of the season in his last appearance, allowing three runs off five hits in a 5-0 loss to the Mariners. He actually faced this lineup in the Sportsbook game of the season and got the 8-3 victory despite giving up eight hits and three runs, but that feels like a lifetime ago. He seems to get the jump on teams as evidenced by the .167 batting average the first time facing him in a game but that figure jumps to .313 the second time through the order so if he makes it past the fifth inning, that means he’s on his game.
Athletics Are Crushing the Ball
September has been a month of offense for the Athletics, which has pushed their record to 10-6 SU in 16 games this month. Oakland’s batting order is cruising, ranking first in runs and RBIs in September with Stephen Piscotty and Khris “Krush” Davis leading the way with a combined 10 homers and 29 RBIs. That’s why it shouldn’t surprise bettors that the OVER has hit in six straight games at home for Oakland with an average combined score of 12 runs per game.
Should You Take the OVER?
That’s what I’m putting my wager on. The total opened at 9 and with the way that both of these lineups are hitting lately, the OVER looks to be profitable. The Athletics are clobbering the ball this month and as mentioned, the OVER seems to follow in their games. The total also gets crushed when these teams face each other as the OVER has hit in 10 of the last 13 games in this matchup with an average combined score of 11.4 runs per game.
