After finishing fourth in the AL West division last year, the Los Angeles Angels look to bounce back strong as they seek their first playoff appearance in three years. The Angels are pegged at +800 to win the AL West this season. LA’s first assignment this season is a matchup with the Oakland Athletics. Starting for the Angels in this Opening Day showdown is Ricky Nolasco. The right-hander will be making his fourth career Opening Day start. He posted a solid 3.21 ERA in 11 starts last season after joining LA from Minnesota.
Nolasco had a pretty good spring as well, posting a 3.52 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 15 innings. Nolasco will need all the help he can get, though, if he is to beat the A’s in the opener. He is 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA and a shutout in seven career starts versus Oakland but has served up a couple of home runs to Matt Joyce in nine at-bats. One guy who’s expected to contribute for the Angels offense in the season-opener is Mike Trout. He is undoubtedly the best player in the game, finishing no worse than second in AL MVP voting in his five full major league seasons. Trout is 6-of-18 in his career against A’s starter Kendall Graveman with one RBI.
The Angels are 7-3 in their last 10 road games against the A’s.
To say that the Oakland Athletics had a disappointing 2016 season would be a severe understatement. The A’s finished dead-last in the AL West last year with a woeful 69-93 slate. That is Oakland’s second consecutive 90-loss campaign. There’s nowhere to go but up for the Athletics who will once again lean on their pitching staff to turn their season around.
With ace Sonny Gray still sidelined with a right lat strain, the A’s selected Kendall Graveman to be their Opening Day starter. Graveman, who worked a team-high 186 innings last season, was winless in his final six turns last year, going 0-3 despite surrendering three runs or fewer four times in that span. He has pitched well in six career starts against the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 1-1 slate and 3.38 ERA with one complete game.
Graveman can’t do it all alone, though, and he needs the Oakland batters to contribute in the season-opener as well. One guy who’s expected to have a huge Opening Night is Khris Davis. He recorded career highs of 42 home runs and 102 RBIs for the A’s last year. He is 3-of-12 in his career against Ricky Nolasco. Yonder Alonso’s another player who has had some success against Nolasco with the first baseman hitting .250 against the Angels starter with a homer and three RBIs.
The total has gone under in six of Oakland’s last seven home games against Los Angeles. The A’s are pegged at +2,000to win the AL West this year.
