Oakland Athletics (65-82 SU, 80-63-4 O/U) v. Philadelphia Phillies (57-90 SU, 66-68-13 O/U) at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sunday, September 17th, 2017 at 1:35 p.m. EST
Starting Pitchers: Sean Manaea (L) 10-10, 4.65 ERA, 1.41 WHIP (OAK) v. Henderson Alvarez (R) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP (PHI)
Money Line: Oakland Athletics -108 | Philadelphia Phillies -102
Over/Under: 9.5
East meets west in this interleague matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Oakland Athletics. These two clubs have really struggled in 2017. The Phillies are 23.5 games back in the National League Wild Card standings. Meanwhile, the Oakland Athletics are 12 games behind the Twins in the American League Wild Card race. Which one of these struggling clubs will get a much-needed victory on Sunday?
A’s fall to the Phillies
The Oakland Athletics came up short in a 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in game two of this series. The A’s had a horrific day at the plate. They finished the game with only 3 hits. Oakland’s lineup has been awful in 2017. They’re hitting just .246, which is the sixth-worst batting average in the majors.
Sean Manaea will get the start on Sunday. Manaea has been inconsistent in the second season of his major league career. He was awful in his last start against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway. The southpaw gave up 11 hits and 7 runs in only 3 2/3 innings. Of course, that start resulted in a loss, which dropped Manaea’s record to 10-10. He’ll try to bounce back with a win in this visit to Philly.
Phillies take game two
The Philadelphia Phillies were able to beat the Oakland A’s 5-3 in game two, after dropping game one of this series. Jorge Alfaro had a terrific game. He had 2 hits, including a two-run home run. Philadephia’s lineup needs all the help it can get. The Phillies have only scored 622 runs, which is the fourth-fewest in the majors. Additionally, they’re hitting just .252 this season.
Henderson Alvarez will make his first start of the season on Sunday. Alvarez’s last start came in 2015 for the Miami Marlins. He went 0-4 in 2015, so Alvarez hasn’t won a game since 2014. He has a 27-34 record in 92 starts. Alvarez has a career 3.80 ERA. He’ll look to get his first major league win in three years in this matchup with the Oakland A’s.
Trends
The Oakland Athletics are:
- 2-9 in their last 11 vs. National League East.
- 3-7 in Manaea’s last 10 starts.
- 2-5 in Manaea’s last 7 starts with 4 days of rest.
- 1-6 in Manaea’s last 7 road starts.
- 1-11 in Manaea’s last 12 road starts vs. a team with a losing record.
- 0-4 in Manaea’s last 4 interleague starts.
The Philadelphia Phillies are:
- 6-0 in their last 6 games vs. a left-handed starter.
- 5-0 in their last 5 home games vs. a left-handed starter.
- 9-2 in their last 11 Sunday games.
- 4-1 in their last 5 overall.
The Philadelphia Phillies have been fantastic as of late. The Phillies are averaging more than 6 runs per game in their last 8 contests. Meanwhile, the Oakland A’s are averaging just 3.4 runs in their last five games. The Athletics are just 2-5 in their last 7 visits to Philadelphia. I like the Phillies to win this one on Sunday.