Today we're looking at the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics. The Dodgers are coming in hot as they pack their bags and head to the Oakland Coliseum. Now Oakland can be a bit stingy when it comes to helping out those batters, but that doesn't seem to faze the LA crew much.
Heading up the Dodgers roster, we've got Austin Barnes, showboating with his .480 batting average. He's not the only shining star, with Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani also showing us how it's done. Then you've got Teoscar Hernandez who has not been slacking off. Cracking a .286 batting average with 12 RBIs and 5 homers in his bag, you know he's bringing his A-game.
Dodgers are also flaunting a stronger arm on the mound. Jack Flaherty is packing a 3.05 ERA and 18 appearances this season? And he's backed by a WHIP of 0.99. Not too shabby, I might add.
In comparison, the A's got Mitch Spence standing tall on the mound. Not his absolute best game with 4.66 ERA, but he's soldiering on with 7.7 K/9 and 24 appearances this year - a workhorse if there was one.
In terms of Oakland's batting order, Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker should be stealing the headlines, but it's been a bit of a rocky road. Rooker is showing promise though with a .386 batting average and 11 homers.
Looking back, we've got a bit of variety in past games between these two. Seems the Dodgers had the A's manoeuvred in 2023, but Oakland seems to have found their number more recently.
In terms of the season, the Dodgers have a definite edge with a record of 63-47. The Athletics, well, they're behind on 46 wins and 65 losses. Recently, each team's been through highs and lows. The A's, though, have had a bit of a rough patch with a few close losses thrown in the mix.
Thing is in this great game of baseball, past performance and statistics only tell you so much. The Dodgers come to this game with a strong all-around team and better seasoned pitching. My money? It's on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Albert’s Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers by 3