The Arizona Diamondbacks (45-39) and Oakland Athletics (37-47) play the rubber game of their three game Inter-league set today (4:05 pm ET) at the Oakland Coliseum. Ian Kennedy (8-2, 3.01 ERA) takes the mound for Arizona in this one while Oakland counters with lefty Gio Gonzalez (7-5, 2.38 ERA).
With today's pitching match-up as it is, oddsmakers at most offshore sports shops give the A's a slight -117 MLB Odds edge on the moneyline and have posted 6 1/2 as the betting total (over/under).
Earlier predictions of the Oakland Athletics contending in the American League West Division have not, nor will not, play out. The team started its 2011 season overrated and the record show its. At mid-season the club is in last place,10 games below the .500 mark at 37-47. If there's a sliver lining to the season, it's the distance from first to worst in the division is only seven games. D-Backs fans are delighted their club's in the thick of things in the NL West race only trailing division leaders San Francisco Giants by three games in the standings.
Ian Kennedy continues to pitch solid, throwing eight innings on Monday in a no-decision against the Indians and allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out eight and walking one. He has pitched eight innings in three of his past four starts.
Gonzalez dominated the Marlins in a 1-0 win on Tuesday, yielding just a hit and three walks while fanning nine over eight shutout innings. The lefty is 5-2 with a 2.17 ERA while fanning 63 batters in 58 innings in nine home starts.
In another afternoon inter-league matinee out west, the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres play a series rubber-game at Safeco Field in Seattle. The Mariner's have called up a rookie, right-hander Blake Beavan from Triple-A Tacoma to start while the Padres counter with right-hander Mat Latos (5-8, 4.24 ERA). Most offshore sports shops list Padres as slight -115 MLB Odds favorites with a posted 6 1/2-run total (over/under). The M's are lined at -105 as home underdogs.
