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Sport:
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MLB |
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Game:
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Oakland A's at Texas Rangers |
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Date/Time:
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5/12/2010 8:05PM EST |
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Pick:
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Oakland A's |
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Reason:
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We rode Oakland to a big victory last night and we will jump on the A's again albeit a much smaller number. Oakland is playing some good baseball as well as it has won five of its last six games following a 1-6 run and I believe that should be taken more into consideration that the road/home records. The A's are just 5-8 on the road while the Rangers are 11-7 at home but the overall records are dead even which means starting pitching will play a bigger role and I think Oakland has a significant edge in that category tonight. Gio Gonzalez gets the call for Oakland and he is having a very solid season. He is 3-2 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.26 WHIP through six starts and of those, he has tossed only one bad outing. He allowed five runs in 4.1 innings against the Yankees and take that away and his numbers drop to a 2.59 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He has allowed just two runs in each of his three road starts and in one career start against the Rangers which came last season, he tossed 6.2 scoreless innings in a 6-0 Oakland win. He started slow last year but finished stronger so this season is no fluke. He posted a 7.38 ERA in May-July but posted a decent 4.68 ERA the rest of the way. The Rangers counter with Derek Holland who is making his first start of the season. He started the year in the minors and while it went good, his Major League résumé is anything but. As a rookie last season he was 8-13 with a 6.12 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 21 starts and 12 relief appearances. His lone start against Oakland last season was a dismal one as he allowed four runs on four hits and four walks in 4.1 innings as it happened to come against Gonzalez. The A's are now 7-0 in their last seven games against teams with a home winning percentage greater than .600 while the Rangers are 2-8 in their last 10 games against teams with a winning record. 3* Oakland A's |
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