It’s an afternoon affair from Oakland on Thursday as the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics close their interleague series. The Brew Crew will add the designated hitter but will be MLB Betting underdogs at Mybookie Sportsbook.
How to Bet Brewers vs Athletics MLB Odds & Game Info
- When: Thursday, 3:37 PM ET
- Where: Oakland Coliseum
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Chase Anderson/Daniel Mengden
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: 95.7 The Team
- MLB Odds: TBA
Why Bet on Milwaukee?
Entering this series, the Brewers were 68-110 all-time at the Oakland Coliseum. The teams last met there from 6/21-6/22, 2016 with the teams splitting a 2-game series.
The Brewers made a trade on Wednesday, getting pitcher Jake Faria from Tampa Bay for first baseman Jesus Aguilar. Aguilar had a huge 2018 season but had regressed big time this year, and the Brew Crew badly needed pitching help. On Monday, the team acquired pitcher Jordan Lyles from the Pirates for a minor-leaguer and Lyles started Wednesday in Oakland.
Just like Aguilar, who was heating up lately (.947 OPS, 3 HRs since July 4), Faria is on a good run. Since the start of June, he has a 1.93 ERA in 42 innings between the Minors and Majors. That’s 24 games, including one start. Faria will be used out of the bullpen in Milwaukee He’s a heavy groundball pitcher which will benefit him greatly at Miller Park and throws primarily a four-seam fastball that hits around 94 mph and will mix in a change-up and occasionally a slider.
Meanwhile, rookie Keston Hiura has hit safely in 21 of his last 25 games, batting .370 (34-for-92) with 6 HR and 18 RBI. His 15-game hitting streak (.458, 27-for-59, 5hr, 17rbi), which was snapped on Sunday vs. the Cubs, tied for the second-longest streak by a rookie in franchise history.
It’s Chase Anderson (5-2) on the mound for Milwaukee. Anderson allowed two runs on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts across five innings during a no-decision against the Cubs on Saturday. The 31-year-old yielded only a two-run homer to Anthony Rizzo in the third inning. Since seeing his ERA balloon to 4.70 toward the end of June, Anderson has pitched really well, yielding two or fewer runs in seven straight starts. Overall, he is 5-2 with a 3.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 85 strikeouts in 88 innings this season.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.85
- Hits: 8.46
- Walks: 3.81
- Strike Outs: 9.47
- Runs: 5.01
- Hits: 8.82
- Walks: 3.45
- Strike Outs: 9.33
Why Bet on Oakland?
Oakland has placed arguably its best all-around player this year, outfielder Ramon Laureano, on the 10-day injured list with a stress reaction in his right shin. A’s manager Bob Melvin noted that the dynamic center fielder will be out for longer than 10 days. It’s a big loss for Oakland as Laureano has delivered a .281 batting average and .849 OPS with 21 home runs, 58 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and 66 runs scored through 106 games this season. Mark Canha figures get most of the starts going forward.
The A’s are 19-8 in games in which the opponent starts a left-handed pitcher compared to 41-40 against right-handers. The mark against lefties is second-best in the majors to Houston (23-7) but the 27 games are third-fewest in the American League. A’s batters are hitting .266 with a .810 OPS against left-handed pitchers compared to .240 with a .745 OPS against right-handers.
The A’s start Daniel Mengden (5-2). He was charged with the loss against the Rangers on Friday after surrendering four runs on three hits and four walks while striking out five over 5.1 innings. Mengden, facing Texas for the first time this season, held his opponents scoreless until the fourth inning, when he allowed a walk, back-to-back doubles and a single to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead. A two-run single by Asdrubal Cabrera in the sixth accounted for Mengden’s final runs of the night. The loss was his first since a May 12 start against Cleveland.
The 26-year-old now owns a 4.85 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 41:25 K:BB and Mengden has struggled to find his command with nine walks over his past two outings, an issue he’ll need to fix against a dangerous Milwaukee lineup. This will be the right-hander’s second career start against the Brewers. Mengden allowed three runs over six innings in a loss to Milwaukee in 2016.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.06
- Hits: 8.42
- Walks: 3.33
- Strike Outs: 7.90
- Runs: 4.36
- Hits: 8.36
- Walks: 3.17
- Strike Outs: 7.74
Brewers vs Athletics MLB Betting Trends
- Athletics are 4-1 in Mengden’s last 5 starts during game 3 of a series
- Brewers are 2-9 in their last 11 interleague road games
- Brewers are 4-8 SU in their last 12 games against an opponent in the American League
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Milwaukee’s last 9 games on the road
- Athletics are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games against an opponent in the National League Central division
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oakland’s last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Expert Final Score Prediction for Brewers vs Athletics
Score: Milwaukee Brewers 4 – Oakland A’s 5
