Oakland Athletics @ Los Angeles Angels Matchup Preview - August 4th, 2022
Right-hander Paul Blackburn is expected to start today for Oakland, while right-hander Janson Junk gets the nod at home for Los Angeles. Blackburn enters this contest with a 4.15 ERA, backed up by a 3.80 FIP (which is a better measure of the things a pitcher can control). Junk, meanwhile, has a 0.62 FIP underlying his 0.00 ERA. The last time Paul Blackburn was on the bump, the Athletics lost 2-3 versus the White Sox. He left allowing 0 earned runs and recording 4 strikeouts with 0 walks. Junk's last start was against the Royals, when he recorded the win as the Angels were victorious 4-0. Over 5 innings pitched, he allowed 0 earned runs with 4 hits. He also recorded 8 strikeouts with 1 walk.
Oakland Athletics Insights
Paul Blackburn's 91.2 mph fastball velocity this year is in the 14th percentile among SPs.
Nick Allen's average exit velocity has fallen off in recent games; his 84-mph seasonal figure has decreased to 77.9-mph over the last week.
Vimael Machin has a 94th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (37.9%) and will be challenged by the game's 10th-deepest LF fences today.
Los Angeles Angels Insights
Janson Junk has been given a shorter leash than the typical pitcher since the start of last season, throwing 7.6 fewer adjusted pitches-per-game than the average hurler.
Extreme groundball batters like Magneuris Sierra tend to be less successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Paul Blackburn.
Projected catcher Kurt Suzuki grades out as a weak pitch framer, via THE BAT projection system.
Betting Trends
The Los Angeles Angels have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Total Under in 31 of their last 55 games at home (+12.05 Units / 20% ROI)
The Oakland Athletics have hit the Moneyline in 17 of their last 34 games (+10.60 Units / 30% ROI)
Paul Blackburn has hit the Earned Runs Under in 9 of his last 11 away games (+6.75 Units / 43% ROI)