The Los Angeles Angels play host to the Oakland Athletics in the finale of their mid-week series on Thursday afternoon from Angel Stadium. These two sit right near the bottom of the AL West standings and with likely nothing left to play for as the final months roll along, it'll be interesting to see how the series finale goes. These two have already squared off nine times this season and with the Angels having won six of those, they'll be aiming to set the tone on Thursday and gain some mentum into the weekend.
Not much was expected of Oakland coming into the season and it shouldn't come as a surprise to see the struggles continue. They come into this one in last place in the division, with one of the worst records in baseball. Despite that, they've been stronger of late though, as they come into Thursday's finale with a 6-4 record in their last ten games. A brutal record away from home and an overall lack of talent will certainly make things interesting for Thursday afternoon but this team isn't the type to back down in this one.
Oakland has quickly become one of the healthiest teams in baseball and that could help them play the role of spoiler down the stretch. Jonah Bride (shoulder) is the only position player out, though being without three relievers could be a challenge.
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— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 4, 2022
According to MLB.com, Paul Blackburn will take the mound for the Athletics as the righty looks to help the A's finish off strong. The righty has been impressive in his own right this season, as comes into this one with a 6-6 record and 4.15 ERA. While terrible two starts ago, he has pitched shutouts in two of his last three appearances and has been hit or miss this season, with the away side hoping he's locked in going into this one.
Having one of baseball's worst lineups hasn't helped this group and certainly doesn't take pressure off of their staff. They rank last in baseball on average and are 29th in both runs scored and OPS. Over the last week, Elvis Andrus (.350 average) has continued to be dangerous, while Sean Murphy has continued to provide power. Without much help though, they could struggle to keep pace with the Angels in this one.