Philadelphia Phillies (35-34) at Oakland Athletics (19-52)
Game Info: Friday, June 16, 2023 at 9:40 p.m. EST (Oakland Coliseum)
Betting Odds: Phillies (-135) / Over/Under (8.5)
Pick: Phillies ML (-135)
As the weekend dawns upon us, let's head out west to take a look at the first game of the series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Oakland Athletics inside of Oakland Coliseum.
Ever since the Phillies brought Dancing On My Own back, they have heated up like no other. In their last ten games, they have a stellar 8-2 record, and just went into Arizona and took three of four against a Diamondbacks team that sits atop the NL West. Over this stretch of games where they have dominated, their star hitters are beginning to find their form along with their starting pitching hitting their stride as well. This has allowed them to finally get back over the .500 mark; somewhere they will hope to build on as the season progresses towards the mid-mark. Two hitters to watch in this one are Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos. After a disappointing start to begin the season for Turner, he has heated up of late, bumping his average above the .250 mark for what seems like the first time in ages for the superstar shortstop. In regards to Castellanos, he has looked like a completely different player from last years version, where it felt like he was a major liability in the lineup for large parts of the season. Can both players bring the goods against an inferior Athletics pitching staff?
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After beginning the campaign off in abysmal fashion, this past week the A's went on an improbable seven game win streak. Nonetheless, they come into this weekend series with the Phillies with a shocking 19-52 record (2nd worst record in the major leagues). If there is one man that is worth keeping an eye on in Oakland's lineup, it has to be 28 year-old left fielder Brent Rooker. Although he struggled heavily in his short major league career up until this year, he clearly found something in the offseason that has allowed him to see the ball much better this time around. Currently, he leads the A's in every major offensive category, including average, home runs, and RBIs. If he is able to keep this up, he will surely be a trade target for a contender when the deadline comes. On the bump for tonight's game, the A's will have JP Sears going for them. After coming over from the Yankees last season, he has not been able to find his stuff yet. Nonetheless, can the left hander stymie a potent Phillies offense to start the series off on the right track?
Betting trends to consider in this matchup:
- Oakland is 10-41 when coming off of a loss
- The Phillies are 25-17 as the favorite
- Philadelphia is 20-14 when coming off of a win
The Phillies are on fire, coming off of a series win against a high-flying Diamondbacks squad in their home ballpark... and they are only short favorites on the road against one of the worst teams in the league. This certainly screams trap in every way possible, but I am going to jump all over the Phillies here as Taijuan Walker and the Philly hitters have been thriving of late!
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