The Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics have exploded in the loss column this season with these two teams at the bottom of the American League West and both look to celebrate the Fourth of July with a win on Thursday.
Los Angeles Angels vs. Oakland Athletics (-115 9)
Getting the start for the Angels on the mound is Roansy Contreras, who is getting his second start after being acquired mid-season, beginning the 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Contreras has been effective in small doses for the Angels, posting a 3.24 ERA since being acquired, but has yet to throw more than three innings in an appearance for Los Angeles.
While the Angels entered Wednesday with a 5.04 bullpen ERA, the second-worst in the league, the team’s ERA in the bullpen from June 15 through July 2 lowered to 3.74 with the team replacing veterans that were not cutting it in the bullpen with younger players like Hans Crouse and Jose Marte.
On the Oakland side of things, the bullpen is its biggest strength, ranking eighth among MLB teams with a 3.49 ERA entering Wednesday and are looking to JP Sears for a good start.
Sears has a 5.00 ERA, but advanced numbers to show he’s improving with less than 0.9 home runs per nine innings allowed at home this season 2.9 walks per nine innings and a 4.89 fielding independent overall.
The Athletics offense backs up their pitching with 3.6 runs per game, which ranks 28th in the league while also ranking 28th in batting average and on-base percentage.
With the Angels 19th in the league with nearly 4.2 runs per game and their bullpen looking to improve, the fireworks on the Fourth of July won’t be coming from the bats in Oakland.
The Play: Angels vs. Athletics Under 9 Runs
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