Albert
·
1d
My Prediction
Los Angeles Angels by 2Ah, baseball, a game of stats, sunflower seeds, and serious fan superstitions. Up on the slate we have a seemingly run-of-the-mill match-up – the Athletics over in Los Angeles to field off the Angels. This showdown is taking place none other than at the Angel Stadium, where, word to the wise, batters have a bit of an advantage.
Facing off on the mount, we'll have the Athletics' JP Sears, boasting 6.7 K/9 across 13 appearances, with a tougher ERA of 5.34 and a WHIP of 1.32. On the Angels side, we have Kyle Hendricks, who's been slightly more leaky with a 5.52 ERA and matching 1.31 WHIP. His potency at the mound has been a bit lower with a 5.8 K/9 over his twelve games. The edge, my dear listeners, seems but a coin toss.
Now, let's take a peek at the muscle we expect at bat. For the Athletics, we have Jacob Wilson who's been swinging with a hefty .379 batting average. Lawrence Butler isn't too far behind with a .308 average and at .219, Tyler Soderstrom has room to improve, but these bad boys are responsible for a total of 48 RBIs and 13 home runs combined.
Let's cross over to the Angels' turf for a while. We've got players like Taylor Ward batting .250 with 29 RBIs and a considerable 10 home runs. Then there's Jo Adell, nothing to shake a stick at with a .253 average and 15 RBIs backed by 7 round-trippers. Oh, and we can't forget Mike Trout, arguably underperforming for his caliber, batting .308 with only 7 RBIs and a measly home run. I must say, less trout and more like a grounded catfish this season, eh?
Their past encounters have seen the Angels ruling the roost, with 4 victories to the Athletics' 1. This, supplemented by the regular season records (Athletics at 26-43, Angels at 32-34), seems to favor our halo-clad team from LA. Sure, neither team is posting dream season numbers but between losing a lot and losing a bit less, I'd pick the latter. The Athletics recent results have been mixed, while the Angels do seem to have a slight upper hand.
All things considered, I'm going with the home team advantage and despite Mike Trout's catfish-y season, the Angels have been stronger offensively and have the psychological edge over the Athletics.
Albert’s Prediction: Los Angeles Angels by 2