The Oakland Athletics (19-57) are on the road to face the Cleveland Guardians (35-38) at Progressive Field on Thursday with the home team eyeing a sweep of the three-game series.
The Guardians lead the series 2-0 after winning 7-6 on Wednesday, their fourth head-to-head victory in five games this season. Reliever Eli Morgan threw one scoreless inning to get the win, and Emmanuel Clase earned his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth.
Josh Naylor went 4 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs in the win. Jose Ramirez went 3 for 4 with a triple and one run. Tony Kemp was 2 for 3 with two runs for the Athletics.
ON THE MOUND
JP Sears (1-4, 4.24 ERA) is in line to start for Oakland. The southpaw allowed four runs over seven innings in his last start, a 6-1 road defeat against the Phillies on Friday. He was charged with the loss, scattering four hits while striking out seven.
Sears has made one previous start against the Guardians this season, a 4-3 home victory on April 4. He surrendered three runs on eight hits over 4.2 innings, striking out five and walking one. Left-hander Logan Allen (3-2, 3.95 ERA) will toe the rubber for Cleveland.
It’s his first appearance of the season against the Athletics. In his last start on June 15, Allen took a no-decision on the road against the Padres. He threw three innings and gave up five runs on four hits, striking out two and walking four in the 8-6 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Oakland has averaged 2.6 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 3.6. Against southpaws like Allen this season, the A’s have a .690 OPS, the fifth lowest in the league.
Brent Rooker is the team’s best performer against left-handers with a .957 OPS in 61 at-bats. Cleveland is averaging 5.2 runs per game in the last five, up from 3.9 for the season, with a higher slash line (.301/.344/.437).
The Guardians have a .688 OPS against left-handers in 2023, the fourth lowest in MLB. With a .898 OPS over 69 at-bats, Andres Gimenez has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Oakland is 10-28 on the road in 2023, scoring 4.1 runs per game while allowing 6.7 runs. Cleveland has won three in a row at Progressive Field. The Guardians are 18-17 at home this season, averaging 3.5 runs per game while surrendering 3.9.
In the last 10 games between the teams at Progressive Field, each club has won five, though Oakland has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 6.1-4.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Athletics are fifth in the AL West, 28 games behind the division-leading Rangers. The Guardians are second in the AL Central, one game behind the Twins.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Cleveland Guardians (-185)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
