The Oakland Athletics (29-54) travel to face off against the Arizona Diamondbacks (39-42) on Friday, June 28th. This game will be played at Chase Field in Phoenix and televised on NSPCA. Both the Athletics and Diamondbacks are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 8:40 CT.
Athletics vs Diamondbacks
The Athletics wrapped up their series vs. the Angels with a 5-2 loss on the road. Oakland was the +118 underdog going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Athletics, as they got on the board with a run in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Angels scored a run in the bottom of the 2nd.
Oakland started Joey Estes, and he took the loss, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on three hits. He also issued two walks and hit a batter. The Athletics’ offense scored their only other run in the 9th inning.
With an overall record of 29-54, the Athletics are 5th in the AL West, trailing the Mariners by 17 games. So far, they have really struggled against other AL West teams, going 6-17. Oakland has dropped five straight games, and they were swept in their three-game series by the Angels.
On the road, the Athletics are just 11-31 this season compared to an 18-23 mark at home. As the underdog, the Athletics are 23-52 this season, and they have lost five straight games as the underdog. Oakland’s overall series record is 8-17-1, and they have dropped two straight series.
When the Athletics are on the road, they are 20-22 against the run line, and they have failed to cover in three straight games. They are 2-6 against the run line as the favorite and 38-37 as the underdog. Their average run differential in all games is -1.3 runs per game, and they are 40-43 against the run line overall.
The Oakland Athletics are on the road today against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which is slightly higher than their combined run average of 8.4 runs per game. The A’s have an over/under record of 36-45 on the season, and their games have averaged an over/under line of 8 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 9-12. Only 12% of their games this season have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs.
JP Sears Gets The Start For The Athletics
Left-hander JP Sears is getting the start for the Athletics today as he faces the Diamondbacks on the road. Sears has made 16 starts this year and has a record of 4-7 with a 5.04 ERA. His WHIP for the season is currently 1.33. Looking back at his last outing, Sears got the start vs. the Twins and took the loss. In that outing, he lasted just 1 1/3 innings and gave up eight earned runs on nine hits. Sears has allowed at least one homer in each of his last four outings. Opponents are batting .260 off Sears this season.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Athletics are batting just .221 this season, which is 21st in the league. However, they do have the 7th most home runs in the league and have the 12th best isolated power (ISO) in the league. Oakland’s offense is averaging just 3.6 runs per game, and they are even worse on the road, averaging only 3.2 runs per contest.
Over the team’s last eight games, Miguel Andujar has gone 11/30, and he is currently on a four-game hitting streak. Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers are tied for the team lead in homers, with 14, and Rooker also leads the team with 45 RBIs. Rooker is batting .261 for the season, while Langeliers is hitting just .197.
The Diamondbacks will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Twins with a 13-6 loss. Arizona was actually the slight favorite at home going into the game but fell behind big early, as the Twins scored six times in the second.
Offensively, the Diamondbacks only had three fewer hits than the Twins but scored just six runs. All of their runs came in the 3rd and 4th innings. Ketel Marte was hot at the plate, going 2/3 with a homer and two RBIs.
With an overall record of 39-42, the Diamondbacks are 11.5 games behind the Dodgers for the NL West lead. Arizona is 3rd in the division and lost two straight games to close out the first half of the season. In NL West matchups, the Diamondbacks have gone 15-12 this year.
At home, the Diamondbacks are 20-20 this season compared to a 19-22 mark on the road. As the favorite, Arizona has gone 20-16 and 19-26 as the underdog. They have dropped two straight games as the home favorite. Looking at their overall series record, the Diamondbacks are 10-13-3 and lost two straight series.
When playing at home, the Diamondbacks have a run line record of 17-23, which includes a current two-game losing streak. As the favorite, they are 14-22 against the run line, while as the underdog, they are 24-21.
The Diamondbacks are at home against the Athletics today, and the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. Arizona’s games have averaged 9.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 40-39. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 14-10. Overall, 42% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, and their current over streak is at three games.
Slade Cecconi Gets The Start For The Diamondbacks
Right-hander Slade Cecconi is getting the start for the Diamondbacks today as he faces the Athletics at home. He has made 10 starts this season and has a record of 2-6 with a 5.74 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .259 this season off Cecconi, and his ERA at home is 14.33 compared to 3.52 on the road. In his most recent outing, he took the loss, going three innings and giving up one earned run on two hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One of the keys for Ceconni today will be limiting the home run ball, as he has allowed 12 homers this season.
Diamondbacks Offense Breakdown
Arizona comes into the game as one of the league’s top offenses, averaging 4.7 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 4.9 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .250, which is 7th in the league, and are also near the top of the league in slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Overall, they are 13th in home runs.
Both Ketel Marte and Christian Walker have 17 homers this season, which is 8th in the league. Walker’s 51 RBIs are 11th in the league and the top mark on the team. Marte has gone deep three times in his last nine games while batting .281 in that stretch. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has also been hot of late, hitting .406 over his last nine games.
Athletics vs Diamondbacks Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Athletics vs. Diamondbacks matchup is to take the Diamondbacks on the money line at -154. We actually have the Diamondbacks winning this one by a score of 6-5, so there is some value in taking them on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Slade Cecconi finishing with six strikeouts, which is good for fifth among all starters today. As for JP Sears, we have him finishing with five K’s, which is seventh worst among starters.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:June 28, 2024 Athletics, Diamondbacks