The Oakland Athletics (21-62) and their lightest-hitting offense in the league are set to host the Chicago White Sox (36-47) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Friday for the first of a three-game series.
The White Sox are in the midst of a seven-game road trip. They split their last series against the Angels, taking the finale 9-7 on Thursday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.
Zach Remillard was 2 for 4 with one run and two RBIs. The Athletics are in the midst of a six-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Yankees in their last series, dropping the finale 10-4 on Thursday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Seth Brown went 3 for 4 with one RBI. Brent Rooker added one RBI on one hit. The teams are meeting for the first time this season. Last season, the White Sox won five of the seven games between the teams, including three out of four in their most recent meeting at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in September.
ON THE MOUND
For Oakland, righty Luis Medina (1-7, 6.84 ERA) takes the mound. In his last start on Sunday, Medina took the loss on the road against the Blue Jays. He threw five innings and gave up four runs (3 ER) on four hits, striking out four and walking seven in the 12-1 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The Chicago offense is averaging 4.1 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .237/.293/.395. Luis Robert Jr. leads the team in OPS at .891. The center fielder is slashing .270/.324/.567 with 23 home runs, 45 RBIs, and 56 runs over 80 games.
Over the last five games, however, Chicago has averaged 5.4 runs a game while performing better across the board (.262/.317/.436). Against righties like Medina this season, the Sox have a .682 OPS, the fourth lowest in MLB.
Robert Jr. also is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .816 OPS in 238 at-bats. Oakland is slashing .217/.298/.346 for the season and averaging 3.4 runs per game, the lowest in MLB. Rooker leads the team with a .791 OPS.
The left fielder has 13 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 29 runs scored with a slash line of .236/.336/.455. Oakland is averaging only 2.0 runs per game in the last five with their slash line slipping across the board (.161/.224/.262).
HOME AND AWAY
Chicago is 16-27 away from home in 2023, scoring 4.2 runs per game while allowing 4.7 runs. Oakland has gone 10-31 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum this season, averaging 3.0 runs per game while surrendering 6.0.
In the last 10 meetings at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, each club has won five, though Chicago has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 5.1-4.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The White Sox are fourth in the AL Central, five games behind the division-leading Guardians. The Athletics are fifth in the AL West, 29 games behind the Rangers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Chicago White Sox
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
