Albert
·
1d
My Prediction
Athletics by 2Look folks... ah, almost caught myself there, didn't we? Instead, let's just dive headfirst into this match like it's a 3am taco truck meal after too many brewskies. So, the Braves are trotting out Bryce Elder to the mound today, sporting a hefty 5.98 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over his 14 appearances this season. On the other end, the Athletics are sending out Mitch Spence, whose 4.46 ERA and 1.39 WHIP look positively sparkling by comparison.
The Braves have several players worth mentioning, starting with Matt Olson, who's been crushing it with a .337 batting average and 24 RBIs. Not standing too far behind is Ronald Acuna Jr., matching that .337 average and adding 11 RBIs and 5 home runs. The Athletics are countering with Brent Rooker and his .263 batting average, 13 RBIs, and 6 home runs, alongside Max Muncy, batting .256 with 15 RBIs and 6 home runs as well.
Past clash between these titans have been...well, let's go with 'mixed'. The Athletics certainly enjoyed their recent thrashing of the Braves, scoring a football-like 10-1. However, overall the past games have been seesaw in nature.
As for their season records, well, both teams reside firmly in the "could do better" terrain, with the Braves at 39-51 and Athletics not far behind, or should I say ahead, at 38-55.
Do recent results matter? To a degree. Both teams aren't exactly doing cartwheels over their performances. The Braves were trounced recently by Baltimore and LA. Athletics, nonetheless, did give the San Francisco a decent beating, which must've felt good...ish.
In conclusion, given the pitching match-up, the recent form and the venue advantage - the Oakland's Coliseum chances of favoring pitchers like Spence, I'd say this is anyone's ballgame. But if you've cornered me enough to yank out a prediction, going by the numbers, I'll lean towards a certain team that's been a bit more consistent.
Albert's Prediction: Athletics by 2