Hot-hitting Ramon Laureano will be looking to extend his 10-game hitting streak as the Oakland Athletics (15-50) face off against the Milwaukee Brewers (34-30) at American Family Field on Saturday.
The Athletics took Friday’s series opener 5-2. Reliever Luis Medina threw five innings to get the win, and Trevor May picked up his second save with a scoreless ninth.
Laureano was 2 for 5 with a triple, one run, and two RBIs in the win, extending his hit streak to 10 games. Blake Perkins went 1 for 2 with a double, one run, and one RBI for the Brewers.
ON THE MOUND
Paul Blackburn (0-0, 6.00 ERA) is in line to take the mound for Oakland. The righty allowed five runs over five innings in his last start, a 7-5 road defeat against the Marlins on Sunday. He yielded seven hits while striking out three and walking two in the no-decision.
RHP Julio Teheran (1-2, 1.56 ERA) takes the mound for Milwaukee. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Athletics. In his last start on Monday, Teheran took the loss on the road against the Reds. He threw 6.1 innings and gave up two runs on six hits, striking out five and walking one in the 2-0 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Oakland has averaged 6.8 runs a game, up from their season average of 3.6, while slashing better across the board (.294/.381/.458).
Against righties like Teheran this season, the A’s have a .651 OPS, second lowest in MLB. Ryan Noda is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .890 OPS in 150 at-bats.
Milwaukee is averaging only 3.8 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.1 for the season. The Brew Crew have a .702 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .815 OPS over 162 at-bats, Christian Yelich has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Oakland is on a three-game winning streak away from Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, bringing their record to 8-26 in 2023. The A’s have scored 4.0 runs per game away from home, while allowing 6.9 runs.
Milwaukee has gone 18-14 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 4.3 runs per game while surrendering 4.3. In six meetings at American Family Field, each club has won three, though Oakland has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 4.7-3.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Athletics are fifth in the AL West, 26 games behind the division-leading Rangers. The Brewers are second in the NL Central, zero games behind the Pirates.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Milwaukee Brewers (-175)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
