Another baseball play, and another loss. I'm just starting to learn how to handicap soccer, and I'm having more success at that currently than I am with something I've bet on for years. I have to get some things going and get off this losing streak. I'm hopeful I can do that tonight as the Athletics take on the Angels.
The Athletics are under .500, but most of the American League West is hovering right around that .500 mark. They are actually owners of a winning road record. Last season, almost no team was good on the road; it seems like most are pretty strong on the road this season. Overall, the Athletics are 39-42 for the year. Over the last 10 games, the Athletics are 4-6, and they are just 1-4 over their past five games. They just hosted the Angels a few games ago, and they split a four-game set.
Their starter for today is J.T. Ginn. That's good news for the Athletics because he is one of the best starters that the team has. Ginn is 5-4 for the year with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. His ERA is actually 18th in the majors. He has been very good on the road this season, allowing just nine earned runs in 40.2 innings pitched, good for a 1.99 ERA. He has made two starts against the Angels this season, one was tough -- his last one -- where he allowed four earned runs in 5.1 innings. The other start was last month, where he went eight innings and allowed just two earned runs while striking out 10 hitters.
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The Los Angeles Angels are well below .500 at 34-48 for the season, but they are more successful at home with a 19-21 record. They are in decent form at the moment with a 4-1 record over their past five games. That does include two wins over the Athletics. Because of how bad their division is, they are just seven games back, so they aren't really out of the race. The Angels' stats, as a team, are not that much different than the Athletics, so that could encourage them to add to the team instead of subtract. The reality is that this team needs to be blown up.
They are going to get a lot of calls next month about their roster. There are a lot of good players on the team, and there are a lot of serviceable arms they could ship off. I doubt they would get rid of today's starter, but he would likely bring a nice return. Their starter for today is Walbert Urena. For the season, he is 5-5 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He has been great at home this year with a 1.85 ERA, allowing eight earned runs over seven starts. He has been awesome against the Athletics this season, going 11 innings, allowing just eight hits and no earned runs.
The question to answer in this matchup is whether the Athletics will have finally figured out Urena in this game. They haven't been able to get much going against him in the first two starts. The Angels won both of those starts. He also outdueled Ginn in his last start, giving the Angels a win.
The Angels are playing good baseball at the moment as well. It is hard to take the Athletics, although the odds are shifting in their favor, signaling that they may be getting sharp money. I don't think I can get there with either team because I can make a case for both winning the game. I am going to take the under 8.5 runs, though. I expect the Athletics to break through against Urena. However, I think Urena and Ginn are in their optimal spot. I'll take the under 8.5.
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[Image text:] Athletics 35 IN