Can you start worse than this? Asking for a friend.
The Oakland Athletics through 22 games:
- 4 wins (fewest)
- 18 losses (most)
- -103 run differential (largest)
- Owner announced plans to relocate team (demoralizing)
The LA Angels meanwhile are sneaky locked in and motivated with a win now mentality. To keep the Modern Babe Ruth (Shohei Ohtani) on their roster, they need to stay in the playoff hunt. Otherwise Ohtani’s gone (possibly as soon as this summer via trade market).
So far they’re off to a decent start (by Angels standards):
- 11 wins / 11 losses
- 4-2 vs. division
- 5-4 at home
- +8 run differential
Their lineup projects decently vs. Left-Handed Pitching (LHP); however, early results have been choppy in that department. They’re just 2-4 vs. LHP so far, but 1 of the 2 wins was vs. tonight’s starter, Ken Waldichuk (6-0 win on April 2nd).
Look for the Halos to build on that early April performance and win the First 5 (F5) Innings + Full Game at home tonight. I’m parlaying them both @ -115 (Draftkings) to win a unit.
LAA are a strong 6-3 vs. the F5 Run Line at home so far, while Oakland’s 3-7 in the F5 on the road. Angels starter Jose Suarez hasn’t been great lately but historically dominates this matchup. In their last meeting (August 2022), he limited Oakland to 2 hits in 7 innings pitched. Extending the sample: he’s 3-2 lifetime with a 2.38 ERA vs. the Athletics.
The Pick: Angels Win F5 & Full Game (-115)
