Oakland Athletics @ Los Angeles Angels Matchup Preview - August 4th, 2022

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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)