Oakland Athletics (35-90) vs Kansas City Royals (40-87)
Game Info: Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 3:37 pm (Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum)
() () vs Cole Ragans (4-4) (4.25)
Betting Odds: Oakland Athletics / Kansas City Royals --- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Oakland Athletics will host the Kansas City Royals for their series finale this Wednesday from the Oakland Coliseum. Oakland scored in the first three innings and held on to win by one, 5-4.
Royals Preview & Projected Starter
Kansas City comes in at 40-88 after losing to Oakland. The Royals let another close contest slip away last night, and they’ll look to avoid being swept here Wednesday afternoon. The Kansas City offense is scoring 3.62 runs per game, while batting .233, with a .293 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 5.25 ERA, with a 1.43 WHIP.
Cole Ragans (4-4, 4.08 ERA, 9 Ks) will get the start for Kansas City. The third-year pitcher did well at Wrigley last week in interleague play, striking out nine thru six innings, while holding the Cubs to three runs to earn his fourth victory. Ragans has come over from the Rangers and carved out a useful role in the Royals rotation, as he’s held clubs to three runs in all five of his starts, while clearing eight strikeouts in three of those.
Royals Player Trends & Props
• Bobby Witt Jr. has totaled multiple bases in seven of the previous ten games, he leads KC in hits (142), homers (25) and RBI (80).
• Maikel Garcia has collected a hit in eight of the last ten games, and he leads the Royals in batting (.286), with 42 RBI.
• Salvador Perez produced a pair of runs in the game two loss, and he’s second on the team with 19 home runs and 57 RBI.
• MJ Melendez brings an eight-game hit streak into this contest, and he’s posting splits of .236/12/44.
Athletics Preview & Projected Starter
Oakland moved to 36-90 after defeating Kansas City. The Athletics put together another solid effort last night, and they’ll look to complete their first series sweep of the season here in game three. The Oakland offense is scoring 2.81 runs per game, while batting .222, with a .303 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 6.00 ERA, with a 1.62 WHIP.
Oakland has yet to name a starter for the series finale.
Athletics Player Trends & Facts
• Brent Rooker has totaled multiple bases in five of the previous seven games, and he leads Oakland in home runs (21) and RBI (54).
• Zach Gelof homered in the game one victory, and after recording a hit in ten of the last eleven games, he’s now batting .305 thru 33 big league games.
• Shea Langeliers has gone yard in both wins over KC, and he’s up to 13 homers and 41 RBI for the season.
• Seth Brown produced a run in Monday’s victory, and he’s posting splits of .219/11/42.
Corey’s Free Pick
Even though Kansas City is approaching uncharted and embarrassing territory, I still believe they're the better young ball club, and I think they leave the Bay with a win here. The Royals have now suffered three straight one-run defeats, so their due a small breakthrough, and with a troubling trip to Seattle looming, this is their opportunity to get back into the win column. Cole Ragans’ recent form also provides optimism for KC here, so let’s back them to avoid the brooms this Wednesday.
Corey’s Pick Royals ML
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
Mitch's Take...
