The Oakland A’s and the Los Angeles Angels meet in game one of their three-game AL West division set in MLB action from Angel Stadium on Friday.

A’s Will Have 2023’s Worst Record

The Oakland A’s will try to build some good vibes going into 2024 after guaranteeing the worst record in baseball in 2023. The A’s are currently 49-110 on the year despite a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins in Thursday’s series finale. Brent Rooker leads the A’s with 29 home runs and 67 RBIs this season, while Esteury Ruiz has 112 hits, a .256 batting average and a team-best 65 stolen bases. Ryan Noda, Zack Gelof, JJ Bleday, Seth Brown and Shea Langeliers also have double-digit home runs for the A’s this season, while Ruiz also leads the A’s in doubles with 24. Ken Waldichuk will start for the A’s here and is 4-8 with a 5.29 ERA and 129 strikeouts this season.

Angels Playing Out The String On Disappointing Year

The Los Angeles Angels are just playing out the string, sitting at 71-88 on the year after a 5-0 loss in Wednesday’s series finale against the Rangers. Shohei Ohtani leads the Angels across the board, hitting .304 with 151 hits, 44 home runs and 95 RBIs while Brandon Drury has 24 home runs, 80 RBIs and 28 doubles this season. Ohtani also has a team-high 8 triples to lead the Angels in three-baggers this season, which makes it even harder that Ohtani is out for the rest of the season. Chase Silseth will start for the Angels here and is 4-1 with a 4.10 ERA and 53 strikeouts this season.

Chris’ Pick

I’m looking at Oakland here. This is an ugly game and there are much better places to have your money on Friday, but I’ve sworn off of backing the Angels basically since the trade deadline, and I think this is a matchup where the only play in this one is to take a shot for some value. The A’s just swept this series when these two met a few weeks ago, and a similar result wouldn’t shock me in the least here. Give me the A’s.