Los Angeles Angels vs Oakland Athletics

A pair of weak AL West offensive teams clash. Oakland's offense is 20th in runs scored, on-base percentage, and steals. At least they have Osvaldo Bido (3.09 ERA) on the mound with batters hitting just .195 off him. The A's bullpen is terrific, ranked fifth in the majors in ERA (3.54). The Los Angeles offense is 27th in runs scored, 25th in on-base percentage, and 23rd in slugging. Starter Jose Soriano (3.51 ERA) is holding batters to a .219 average. With the Angels on a 12-8-1 run UNDER the total (including 5-1 UNDER versus righty starters), look for more defense than offense. Take Oakland/Los Angeles UNDER the total. 

Paul Blackburn will make his first start since May 10 after coming off the injury list with a foot injury and he had allowed 21 runs in 46 innings with a .230 opponent batting average to start the season. Blackburn is 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five career appearances against the Angels. He will be limited to about 70 pitches and then Joey Estes is expected to replace him. Estes has bounced back from a terrible outing against Boston to allow five runs in 11 2/3 innings his past two appearances and he has given up only four runs in 20 1/3 innings against Los Angeles this season. Carson Fulmer will make his second start for the Angels and in 13 appearances at home this year he has a 2.10 ERA and a microscopic .133 opponent batting average. Oakland is 28-22-2 UNDER on the road in 2024. Take the UNDER.

The Angels have shown some positive signs of life recently, going 7-2 in their last nine games, and playing with confidence. Oakland is 41-63 on the year, showing flashes, but looking to the future. Oakland thought Ross Stripling would help in the rotation, but injuries and poor pitching by Stripling has left Oakland at 2-9 on the season when Stripling has a decision. That includes having lost four straight. Make the play on the Angels.

Los Angeles is 19-28 away from home. They're getting outscored by 103 runs, the second-worst differential in the AL. Starter Carson Fulmer has a 5.06 ERA on the road this season. The offense is 26th in runs scored, 24th in on-base percentage, and 21st in slugging, while the pitching is 29th in ERA (4.72) and 27th in the pen (4.62 ERA). The Angels are on a 5-11 run after losing the first two of this series, 13-3 and 8-2. Oakland is a weak road team but very competitive at home (24-25). They're also playing well, on a 9-5 run. Starter Joey Estes has a 1.91 ERA at home holding batters to a .182 average. The A's have won all four of his home starts. That includes a 5-0 shutout of the Angels on July 3rd where Estes went the distance (just 92 pitches) allowing 5 hits. Play Oakland as a Max Play.