Oakland Athletics (38-26) vs Houston Astros (32-31)
Tuesday, October 06, 2020 at 4:37 pm
At 4:35 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Houston Astros. The Astros drew first blood in this series, taking Game 1 against the A's on Monday, putting up ten runs in the process. Houston is now 3-0 in the playoffs and a season that's been the weirdest in history just keeps getting weirder. LHP Sean Manaea may not have been the A's best starter over the course of the season as evidenced by his 4-3 record and 4.50 ERA in 11 starts. But he was their best starter in the second half of the short campaign. After a disastrous beginning which saw Manaea to 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA after four starts covering 15 innings the 28-year-old southpaw really settled down. Through his last seven starts, Manaea didn't allow more than three ER (allowing just one four times) and he cut that 9.00 ERA in half. Most important is that the A's went 6-1 in those. He didn't get a start in the Wild Card series so this is Manaea's first action in 13 days, but he has some serious redemption on his mind nonetheless. His only previous playoff start was an ugly loss to the Rays last season. The A's are 15-3 in Manaea's last 18 daytime starts. Take Oakland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
Al’s Pick Oakland Athletics: -108
AUTHOR: Al McMordie
