This Tuesday the (46-63) Los Angeles Angels and the (41-68) Oakland Athletics will play game tow of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 9:40 PM EST inside Oakland Coliseum. These two teams also just played this past week. The A's won that last series, as they were able to show up at the plate in two out of the three games.
The Los Angeles Angels are coming into this one after splitting their previous four-game series with the Seattle Mariners. The Angels stunk at the plate in their two losses, as they were only able to score four combined runs.
The Oakland Athletics are entering this one after being swept in their short two-game series with the San Francisco Giants. The A's struggle on the mound and in the field, as they gave up 13 combined runs in those two losses. They will have to be better on defense if they want any chance at taking down the Angels in this one.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Los Angeles Angels are not having the season that they were hoping for, but they are still in fourth place in the AL West. They are also (4-6) in their last 10, as they aren't hot right now. At the plate, the Angels have had some serious struggles this season. They are currently scoring 3.97 runs per game and they are hitting .229 as a team. This is the 25th least amount of runs scored per game and the 26th lowest overall team batting average. They are struggling to consistently reach base and they aren't driving in men when they are in scoring position. They are extremely stagnant at the dish and they aren't giving themselves enough opportunities to score. Luckily, they have realized that they do have some home run power littered throughout their batting lineup. They are averaging 1.14 bombs per game, which is the 13th most in the MLB. I also expect them to stay fairly aggressive once they have reached base safely. They hav e already recorded 59 stolen bases, which is the 15th most in the league. They will do whatever it takes to get their men closer to home plate.
In the field, the Angels have been pretty solid this season. They are currently allowing 4.31 runs per game and they have the ninth highest overall team fielding percentage. They don't make many mistakes that come back to hurt them and they always know where to go with the ball in order to get the nearest out. Los Angeles has also already recorded 58 fielding errors, as this is the 15th least amount of mistakes made in the field this season. They are getting the job done in the field, as this has been the strongest part of their game over the past few weeks.
According to MLB.com, the Angels will be starting Shohei Ohtani on the mound. He has been an absolute beast this season, as he is (9-7) with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. It has been very difficult to consistently reach base against Ohtani, as he has been striking out batters left and right. He will be looking to attack the A's in this one.