Two of MLB’s best daytime clubs faceoff on Thursday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum.
Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles started a new winning streak on Wednesday night, picking up a 7-1 road victory over the Oakland Athletics. Since May 14th, the Angels lead the American League with an 18-8 record, winning nine of the last 11 contests. Tonight the Angels play the 11th game (8-2) of a season-long 14-game, 14-day road trip to Kansas City (3-1), Seattle (3-0), Oakland (2-1) and Los Angeles. Through the first nine games of the trip, the Halos have outscored opponents by a 61-33 margin. The team moved its record to 7-2 to open the month (+480) and is a dominating 57-29 in June since the 2007 season. In the Angels five victories over Oakland this season, they have outscored the Athletics 35-9.
Angels SP Ervin Santana is 11-2 with a 1.54 ERA in 16 career starts against the Athletics (+740). The right-hander is also 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA since dropping a game to the Mariners on May 9. “Ervin Santana has been terrific,” manager Mike Scioscia said. He is 4-2 with a 2.61 ERA in seven road starts this season (+130), including a 3-0 mark and 0.90 ERA since the aforementioned loss at Seattle. Santana is 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA in six daytime starts this season, which offers little difference between his nighttime numbers (3-1, 3.07). The Angels have won his last five starts, providing 44 runs of support in the process.
Oakland came into Wednesday night’s game having tallied a season-high 18 hits the night before, but the offense sputtered against Los Angeles Angels southpaw Joe Saunders. “Again, we run into big Joe,” said Athletics starter Dallas Braden. The A’s have hit a Major League-leading 12 home runs in June after tallying just 15 in both April and May. Oakland has a solid 15-7 record (+960) during day games this season compared to a 16-22 mark at night. The daytime mark is the best in baseball and can be contributed to the team having a 2.96 ERA during the day, which is also the best mark in the majors.
Athletics SP Trevor Cahill is scheduled to make his ninth start of the season, going 4-2 with a 3.21 ERA in his previous eight outings (+360). The young right-hander has allowed one run in three of his last four starts and is 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA over that span. He checks in with a 1-1 career mark and 3.04 ERA in four starts against the Angels, but was the losing pitcher in his only start against them this year, a 4-0 loss at Los Angeles on May 16. Cahill looks to remain perfect at home, posting a 2-0 record and 2.04 ERA in three starts at the Oakland Coliseum (+120).
The home team’s best record in daytime baseball is neutralized in knowing the Angels are 14-8 under the sun as well this season (+680). In fact, Los Angeles is an amazing 82-34 in day games the last three years (+4,920). Oakland is 20-13 at home this season (-670) and an even 3-3 as a home underdog of +100 to +125 (+30), which might entice bettors enough to wager on them.
