Oakland Athletics vs Milwaukee Brewers Picks and Predictions August 24th 2024

Joe Boyle is starting for the Athletics on Saturday, and he is facing off against Colin Rea and the Brewers. The forecast from Oakland Coliseum calls for cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 60s. Milwaukee is currently 74-54 and is 1st in the NL Central, while the Athletics are 4th in the AL West at 55-74.

The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and the Brewers are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -136 compared to the Athletics at +116. Today’s interleague matchup can be seen on NSPCA.

Milwaukee vs. Oakland Key Information

Right-hander Colin Rea gets the start for the Brewers today as he faces the Athletics on the road. Rea has made 21 starts this year and has a record of 11-4 to go along with a 3.52 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Rea has a WHIP of 1.15 and has turned in eight quality starts. In his last outing, he didn’t allow a run in seven innings of work, picking up the win. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in four straight outings. Rea has been much better on the road, coming in with a record of 4-1 and 3.30 ERA compared to 7-3 with a 4.04 ERA at home.

William Contreras has been on a tear of late for the Brewers, going 10/28 in his last eight games with two homers and four RBIs. This has helped him move his season average up to .287, which is 3rd best on the team. Willy Adames and Rhys Hoskins are the Brewers’ top power threats, with Adames leading the team with 22 homers and Hoskins right behind him at 21. Adames’ 85 RBIs are 10th best in the league.

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As a team, the Brewers are 9th in the league in runs scored at 4.8 per game. They have been even better on the road, averaging 4.9 runs per contest. Overall, they are 5th in batting average and have the 3rd best on-base percentage in the league. Milwaukee’s offense is also near the top of the league in terms of slugging and OPS.

Right-hander Joe Boyle gets the start for the Athletics today as he faces off against the Brewers at home. Boyle has made nine starts this year and has a record of 3-5 with a 6.21 ERA. In his 37 2/3 innings of work, he has a WHIP of 1.67 and is averaging 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Boyle’s most recent outing was a good one, as he didn’t allow a run in six innings of work, picking up the win. Before that, he had allowed at least four earned runs in three straight starts. Boyle has an ERA of 12.64 at home compared to 6.38 on the road.

For the season, the Athletics are averaging 4 runs per game, which is 25th in the league. This includes averaging 3.8 runs per game on the road and 4.2 at home. As a team, they are batting just .230, which is 20th in the league, and are also near the bottom of the league in strikeouts. The Athletics are 8th in the league in home runs and have the 11th best isolated power figure in the league.

Brent Rooker has been a bright spot for the Athletics this season, as he is batting .285 with a team-high 29 home runs and 84 RBIs. Miguel Andujar has gone 8/29 in his last seven games but has just one RBI during that stretch. However, he does come into the game on a four-game hitting streak. JJ Bleday has also homered twice in his last six games but is just 2/22 in that stretch.

Today’s game between the Brewers and Athletics has the 6th highest combined runs projection and 10th highest hits projection. Our lean would be to take the over, and for a play on the money line, we would be leaning toward the Brewers to pick up the win. Milwaukee’s offense has the 8th highest team run projection, and Joe Boyle is our 7th lowest projected starting pitcher in terms of strikeouts.

Power Hitting Takes Center Stage as A’s and Brewers Clash

The Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics are set to continue their interleague series on Saturday afternoon, with both teams well aware of the crucial role that home runs could play in determining the outcome. In Friday’s series opener, the Brewers flexed their muscles, out-homering the Athletics 2-1, and leveraging their power to secure an 11-3 victory. The Brewers’ early power surge, led by homers from Rhys Hoskins and Joey Ortiz in a decisive five-run second inning, set the tone for the game and highlighted the importance of the long ball in Milwaukee’s strategy.

Milwaukee’s ability to hit multiple home runs has been a key factor in their success this season. With a 27-6 record when hitting two or more homers in a game, it’s clear that when the Brewers go deep, they tend to win. Rhys Hoskins, who contributed a homer in Friday’s victory, emphasized the significance of starting the series on a strong note:

“It was nice to come out and punch first. We need to win a series here before we go back home, so a big win on the first day is a good start for that.”

The Brewers, having bounced back from a 3-0 shutout loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, were eager to reclaim momentum and put themselves in a favorable position for the remainder of the series.

Joe Boyle’s Challenge: Containing the Long Ball

For the Athletics, Saturday’s game presents a unique challenge, particularly for their starting pitcher, Joe Boyle. The 25-year-old right-hander has been relatively successful in limiting home runs throughout his young career, allowing just four in 12 career starts, including three in nine outings this season. Boyle’s ability to keep the ball in the park could be crucial for the A’s as they look to even the series.

Boyle is coming off the best start of his career, a six-inning shutout performance in a 3-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. He will need to replicate that form against a potent Brewers lineup that has shown a knack for capitalizing on mistakes. Saturday’s game will mark Boyle’s first career appearance against Milwaukee, and the A’s will be hoping he can continue his recent trend of keeping opponents in check.

Oakland’s Missed Opportunities
In Friday’s opener, the Athletics showed early commitment when Lawrence Steward launched a leadoff homer on only the second pitch of the game. Nonetheless, notwithstanding this early energy, the An’s attempted to convey the key hits expected to stay serious. They loaded the bases in the primary inning yet were unable to capitalize, with Zack Gelof’s medium-profound fly to left finishing the threat.

Oakland’s frustrations went on in the fourth inning. Down 7-3, the A’s had a chance to close the gap, yet a potential extra-base hit by Brent Rooker was snagged by Brewers right defender Sal Frelick, controlling the rally. A’s manager Mark Kotsay acknowledged the importance of taking advantage of scoring open doors, especially against a team with areas of strength for a strong bullpen:

“Their bullpen’s pretty good. We saw that tonight. It’s important to keep games close (against the Brewers). It’s important to get out to leads. Tonight we didn’t do that.”

The A’s have shown that when they can hit multiple home runs in a game, they tend to come out on top. They’ve won each of the last eight games in which they’ve gone deep twice, underscoring the importance of power hitting in their game plan.

Colin Rea’s Susceptibility to the Long Ball

Milwaukee’s starter for Saturday, right-hander Colin Rea, presents an intriguing an open door for the A’s to take advantage of. While Rea has been compelling overall this season, posting a 11-4 record with a 3.42 ERA, he has been vulnerable to the long ball, allowing 20 homers. In fact, Rea has surrendered various homers in five of his starts this season, and he has failed to get a success in those excursions.

Be that as it may, Rea has also demonstrated the ability to dominate on the road, not allowing a spat his last three road starts, which included shutout triumphs over the Colorado Rockies, Chicago Whelps, and Atlanta Braves. In his latest start, Rea tossed seven shutout innings against the Cleveland Guardians, further setting his job as a reliable arm in the Brewers’ rotation.

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Despite his road success, Rea has never faced the A’s before, adding an element of unpredictability to Saturday’s matchup. The A’s will need to capitalize on any mistakes Rea makes, particularly if he leaves pitches up in the zone where they can be driven out of the park.

A’s Look to Stay Competitive

As the Athletics prepare for Saturday’s game, they’ll be hoping to stay serious by taking advantage of Rea’s inclination to surrender homers and by supporting Boyle with opportune hitting. Oakland has demonstrated that they can be a dangerous team when their power hitters associate, and they’ll require that aspect of their game to be in full impact on the off chance that they desire to even the series.

With the two teams understanding the importance of the long ball, Saturday’s challenge is probably going to be another display of force hitting, where a couple of key swings could decide the result. The A’s and Brewers each have a lot to play for, and the stage is set for a thrilling interleague battle.