The Oakland Athletics have been hammered hard and often in their four-game set against the Baltimore Orioles, losing the first three games. They have their ace, Sonny Gray, back for the series finale hoping to avoid a sweep. The O’s can’t afford to be caught off-guard. They’re currently neck-and-neck with the Los Angeles Angels for the second AL Wild Card spot.
Read on as we breakdown this high-stake Major League action. If you’re craving for more baseball, check out the complete preview for the Diamondbacks and Pirates.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Oakland Athletics vs. Baltimore Orioles Preview
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
When: Monday, August 17, 7:05 AM ET
Line: Oakland Athletics (EVEN) at Baltimore Orioles (-110); total 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Oakland Athletics
Oakland ace Sonny Gray (12-4, 2.06 ERA) missed his scheduled start against the Toronto Blue Jays due to back spasms. After some rest and a 25-pitch bullpen session, Gray is back to help the A’s avoid a sweep at Oriole Park. Baltimore won the first three games, outscoring the A’s 30-11. The A’s have won seven of Gray’s last eight starts.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Gray has been on a roll recently. He’s 2-0 with a two complete games and a 0.72 ERA in his last three starts. The right-hander has been stellar away from home, going 6-0 with a 1.05 ERA in his last seven road starts. Oakland’s ace has been vulnerable against the O’s, though. Gray is 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA in three career starts against Baltimore, and both of those losing efforts were held in Camden Yards.
The A’s stand a great chance of avoiding a sweep if Stephen Vogt and Coco Crisp keep their hot bats in the series. Vogt has gone 3 for 8 with a home run, two RBIs and a walk in the first two games of the series before getting a day off for the third game. Crisp missed the second game of the series due to illness, but is 6 for 10 with four doubles and an RBI in the other two games.
Josh Reddick and Billy Butler could also give some timely contributions. Reddick has hit safely in his last four games (5 for 15 with two doubles, a homer and an RBI), while Butler is 3 for 10 in the past three games against Baltimore.
The total has gone over in five of the last seven matchups in Baltimore.
Do the A’s have a shot with an ace up their sleeves? Create a betting account now and put a stake on thrilling Major League action.
Betting on the Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles were serving up runs all throughout their 18-2 blowout of the A’s on Sunday afternoon. Baltimore had 26 hits to tie a franchise record, and No other batters were hotter than Gerrardo Parra and Adam Jones.
Parra recorded his third career five-hit game, going 5 for 6 with a double, a homer, three RBIs and three runs scored. He’s now hit 9 of 15 in the four-game set thus far. Jones went deep twice Sunday as he finished 3 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Jones also figures to remain a threat in this upcoming game; he’s 3 for 8 with a home run against Oakland’s Gray. The center fielder is batting .400 with five homers in his last six games.
Having plenty of run support should ease the pressure off Chris Tillman (8-7, 4.66 ERA).
Tillman surrendered five runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings of a 6-5 loss to Seattle on Tuesday. Prior to that game, the right-hander hasn’t lost since May 31, going 6-0 with a 3.57 ERA in 11 starts. Tillman did have a shaky outing in his last start, which causes some concern.
Tillman should still be able to cool a couple of hot Oakland bats. Crisp is 1 for 8 against the O’s starter, while Vogt and Reddick are both 0 for 5.
The O’s have won five of six in their season series against Oakland.
Writer’s Prediction
Baltimore (-110) completes the sweep with a 3-1 victory.
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