Athletics at Angels 8/11/20 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Oakland Athletics travel on the road to Angel Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Angels. The Athletics are red-hot and fresh off a three game sweep over the Houston Astros and have won their last eight games, improving to 12-4 on the year. The Angels were swept in three games on the road to teh Texas Rangers, falling 7-3 in the series finale and falling to 5-11 on the season.

The A’s have really struggled to hit for average this season batting .214 as a team which ranks 23rd in the MLB this season, however the A’s rank in the top-10 in runs per game averaging a shade over four runs per game. All Star first baseman Matt Olson leads the way with 5 home runs and 13 RBIs but is batting just .164 on the year. 

The A’s early season success can be attributed to their lights out pitching staff; coming in with a team ERA of 2.66 ranking 3rd in the MLB. Opposing teams are batting just .216 ranking 10th in the MLB on the season. In this game the A’s will start Mike Fiers who is 1-0 on the year posting a 5.63 ERA and has allowed three home runs and eighteen hits in just 16 innings of work.

The Angels have also struggled at the plate batting just .209 as a team and scoring 4.5 runs per game; leading the Angels offense is MVP candidate Mike Trout. Trout is batting .286, while leading the team with 5 home runs and 11 RBIs. Third baseman David Fletcher has also been solid this season batting .317 on the year, which leads the team. 

The Angels come in with a team ERA of 4.39 on the season, ranking 21st in the MLB while opposing teams are batting .243 which ranks 20th in the MLB. Starting off this contest for the Angels will be Dylan Bundy who has been exceptional this season, posting a 2.08 ERA in three starts, pitching 21 innings and striking out 25 batters while walking jus three. Bundy ranks 14th in the MLB in ERA and 12th in strikeouts this season.