Two of baseball’s least productive lineups are set to face off at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Tuesday as the Los Angeles Angels (67-86) host the Oakland Athletics (56-97) to open a three-game series. The Athletics are playing their first of six games on the road after wrapping up a six-game homestand (3-3). They won only one out of three in their last series against the Mets, dropping the finale 13-4 on Sunday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Conner Capel was 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. Seth Brown added a solo home run. The Angels are back home for a six-game homestand after finishing up a six-game road trip (3-3). They won two of three against the Twins in their last series, taking the finale 10-3 on Sunday at Target Field. Mike Trout went 3 for 4 with a home run and two doubles. He scored three runs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Angels have won nine of 13 in the season series between the AL West rivals, including a 5-4 victory in 12 innings in their most recent meeting on August 10 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Reliever Jaime Barria was credited with the win after throwing three innings.
ON THE MOUND
James Kaprielian (4-9, 4.43 ERA) is in line to get the start for Oakland. The right-hander threw seven scoreless innings in his last start, a 2-1 road win over the Mariners on Wednesday. He earned the win, giving up two hits while striking out six and walking one. Over two previous starts against the Angels this season, Kaprielian has allowed four earned runs over 10.1 innings (1-1, 3.48). He has struck out 10 and walked four. For Los Angeles, southpaw Patrick Sandoval (6-9, 3.01 ERA) will toe the rubber. He has made two appearances against the Athletics this season, both starts, giving up two runs over 13.2 innings (2-0, 1.32) with 11 strikeouts and five walks. In his last start on September 20, Sandoval got the win on the road against the Rangers. He threw five innings and gave up two runs on three hits, striking out seven and walking four in the 5-2 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
The Oakland offense is averaging 3.5 runs per game for the season, second lowest in MLB, with a slash line of .217/.282/.349. Sean Murphy leads the team in OPS at .773. The catcher is slashing .253/.334/.439 with 18 home runs, 66 RBIs, and 67 runs over 141 games. Over the last five games, though, Oakland has averaged 4.6 runs a game while performing better across the board (.257/.322/.443). Against southpaws like Sandoval this season, the A’s have a .634 OPS, second lowest in MLB. Murphy also is the team’s most productive hitter against left-handers with a .879 OPS in 124 at-bats. Los Angeles is slashing .230/.295/.387 for the season and averaging 3.8 runs per game, third lowest in the AL. Shohei Ohtani leads the team with a .887 OPS. He has 34 home runs, 93 RBIs, and 87 runs scored with a slash line of .271/.357/.530. The Halos have a .690 OPS against righties in 2022. With a .924 OPS over 362 at-bats, Ohtani also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Oakland is 30-45 on the road in 2022, scoring 4.0 runs per game while allowing 4.6 runs. Los Angeles has gone 34-41 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 4.4. In the last 10 games between the teams at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Oakland is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 3.9-3.2.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Athletics are fifth in the AL West, 44 games behind the division-leading Astros. The Angels are third in the AL West, 33 games behind the Astros.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Los Angeles Angels (-200)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
