Albert
·
9d
My Prediction
San Diego Padres by 2Alright then, let's have a look at these big boys warming up and sizing each other up for today's game. We're going to witness the San Diego Padres take on the Oakland Athletics at the ever so slightly pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum. That's fighting words for any major slugger. Those batters better bring their A-game and some really tough bats to make any dent.
Now when it comes to people throwing things for what they call a living, the Padres have Dylan Cease on the mound. Now, Cease isn't having his best season with a rather worrying 3.53 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, but hey, he has a pretty decent 12.4 K/9. On the other hand, if we cast our discerning gaze to the A’s, Jeffrey Springs is their chosen hurler. This fella carries a slightly worse 4.00 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP, mildly concerning, but not far off our Padres buddy. Pitching should be...interesting.
Now onto the fellows convinced they can hit things with sticks for their paycheck. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill are, what the smart people might say, “red hot” for the Padres with .381 and .378 batting averages respectively. The Athletics got Tyler Soderstrom who's swatting a solid .381 and Jacob Wilson not far behind at .366. Not to be forgotten, Brent Rooker exists too, though he could do with some more "oomph" at .200.
Consider the ghosts of bets past, the Padres and the Athletics have been elbowing each other in a series of close games. The kind of games that make you eat an entire bag of chips and reconsider your life choices. And as for past skirmishes, the Padres seem to have a slight edge on the A’s, which is sort of impressive.
Recently, we've seen the Padres come out with more patches on their sash than the Athletics - 8 to 2 versus 4 to 6, to be precise. So if anyone's been doing those boring math lessons, they should know that's a better thing. As for recent results, the Padres have been playing like they invented the game whilst the Athletics got a bit of the ‘Average Joes’ vibe going, especially with their less-than-perfect run against the Rockies and that unfortunate trample by the White Sox.
But enough with the chit chat. Time to throw some fake money on the table. If you ask me, those Padres look mighty tough today. Given the historical data, recent form, and the starter pitcher's efficiency, it looks more like a taco night in Oakland to me.
Albert’s Prediction: San Diego Padres by 2