Oakland Athletics vs La Dodgers Dodgers Picks and Predictions August 3rd 2024

From Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, we have the Dodgers and Athletics facing off in an interleague matchup. First pitch for this one is set for 9:07 PM ET, and NSPCA is carrying this one on TV.

Los Angeles is the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -176 compared to the Athletics at +148. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and the Athletics will be looking to pull off the upset at home. Dodgers’ starter Jack Flaherty, while Mitch Spence will go for the Athletics. Los Angeles is 63-47, while the Athletics are 46-65.

Los Angeles vs. Oakland Key Information

Jack Flaherty gets the start for the Dodgers today as he faces the Athletics on the road. So far this season, he has made 18 starts and has a record of 7-5. Flaherty’s ERA for the season is 2.95, along with a WHIP of .96. In his 18 starts, he has turned in 11 quality starts and is averaging 11.22 strikeouts per nine innings. Flaherty’s last outing came on July 24th, where he finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up one earned run on three hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

Shohei Ohtani has been one of the top power hitters in the league this season, as his 33 home runs are the 2nd most in the MLB. Ohtani is also batting .308 for the season and has driven in 79 runs, which is the 4th best mark in the league. However, he has gone just 7/30 in his last eight games, with three homers. Teoscar Hernandez is also a power threat in the Dodgers lineup, as he has 23 homers this season, which is 10th in the league.

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Chris Taylor and Gavin Lux are both on nice hitting streaks for the Dodgers, with Lux also batting .409 over his last eight games. Lux has one homer and five RBIs during this stretch, while Ohtani has gone deep three times in his last eight games.

Mitch Spence gets the start for the Athletics today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. Against the Angels on July 27th, he went 6 innings, giving up just one earned run. Looking back over his last three outings, Spence has given up at least two earned runs in each of them. His ERA for the season is 4.47, along with a record of 7-6. Opponents are batting .248 off the right-hander this season. Spence has made 13 starts at home, where he is 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA.

The Athletics offense has been one of the league’s best home run-hitting teams this season, but they are just 25th in runs per game at 4.1. As a team, they are batting just .232 and are also near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage and slugging. However, they do come into the game with a collective isolated power figure of .169, which is 8th in the league.

Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers are the Athletics top home run hitters this season, but Langeliers is batting just .215 for the season. Rooker has been hot of late, going 7/19 in his last five games with two homers. Langeliers is also on a good power stretch, as he has two homers in his last four games.

For an over/under pick, our lean is on the over, as this is projected to be the 4th lowest-scoring game of the day. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Athletics to pick up the win. Oakland’s offense is our 7th highest-rated home run-hitting team in today’s slate of games, and Jack Flaherty is 2nd among today’s starters in projected strikeouts.

‘Special’: L.A. Native Jack Flaherty Faces A’s in First Start with Dodgers

Right-hander Jack Flaherty has drawn an unfriendly foe for his first start with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the National League West leaders continue their three-game series against the host Oakland Athletics on Saturday.

Dodgers’ Struggles and Trade Moves

The A’s proceeded with their great play of late in Friday’s series opener, returning home runs from Shea Langeliers, Seth Brown, and Brent Rooker in a 6-5 triumph. The defeat at the hands of the American League West’s last-place team proceeded with a terrible pattern for the Dodgers, who went only 11-13 in July, provoking changes at the trade deadline. One significant maneuver was the acquisition of Flaherty (7-5, 2.95 ERA) from the Detroit Tigers for a pair of minor-leaguers.

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Flaherty’s Performance and Challenges

The 28-year-old native of the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank allowed something like two runs in seven of his final eight starts for the Tigers, a stretch in which he went 6-1 with a 1.77 ERA. Regardless of his great stats, Flaherty has battled in two career starts against the A’s, going 0-2 with a 10.97 ERA. That incorporates a 7-1 home misfortune for the Tigers in April wherein he allowed six runs in six innings, with three of the runs coming on a Zack Gelof homer.

Flaherty’s Homecoming

In spite of being 400 miles up the road from his old – – and new – – home, Flaherty expects a well disposed gathering in his first game in quite a while uniform. Many Dodgers fans added to Oakland’s largest home horde of the season Friday – – 21,060. The people who kept close by were rewarded when Shohei Ohtani, potentially the final batter of the game, expanded the night with a three-run homer that made it a one-run game.

“It didn’t really sink in until I got on the phone with my mom and she brought up some things,” Flaherty said of returning to California. “I think everyone deep down wants to play for their hometown team. Getting the opportunity to (do it) is just special.”

Despite his stellar ERA, Flaherty has allowed 15 homers in his 18 starts. Now he must deal with a team that led the majors in home runs last month with 45 and got a nice jump on August with three more Friday.

Athletics’ Momentum

Miguel Andujar wasn’t among the home run hitters in the series opener, but his RBI triple gave Oakland the lead for good in what he considered a special win.

“We played like that against the Dodgers. That’s amazing,” he said. “Everybody came through. I am super happy.”

Pitching Matchup: Flaherty vs. Spence

Seeking to make it two in a row will be right-hander Mitch Spence (7-6, 4.47 ERA), who has never faced the Dodgers but, coincidentally, has gone head-to-head with the other Los Angeles team in four of his past six starts. The 26-year-old rookie is coming off back-to-back wins over the Angels, one at each team’s home ballpark, limiting them to three runs in 11 1/3 innings.

Dodgers’ Offensive Highlights

The Dodgers did all their scoring Friday on home runs, with Teoscar Hernandez belting a two-run shot in the first before Ohtani’s blast in the ninth. The three RBIs gave Ohtani 79 for the season, tied with the A’s Rooker for fourth-most in the majors. Ohtani leads Rooker in home runs, 33 to 27.

Game Outlook

As Jack Flaherty looks to make a strong debut for the Dodgers in front of a supportive crowd, the team aims to bounce back from their recent struggles. Meanwhile, the Athletics will look to continue their surprising surge and secure another victory against their highly regarded opponents. With both teams showing power at the plate and promising pitching matchups, this game promises to be an exciting contest for fans.