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As dominant as Aaron Judge has been at the plate for the Yankees, it is difficult to say he is more valuable to his club than Shohei Ohtani is to the Angels. Earlier this week, he shut down the Miami Marlins on the road with a dominant pitching performance giving up just two hits while striking out ten in seven innings AND he drove in a couple runs (52nd and 53rd of the season) AND stole a base (10th of the season). He is the true unicorn in sports today. Sunday on Peacock, Ohtani leads the Angels into Baltimore to take on Trey Mancini and the Orioles.
For their part, the Orioles are climbing back into the Wild Card race in the American League. Earlier this week, they swept the Texas Rangers. It was their first series sweep in nearly a year. That final game in the Texas series was Baltimore’s 83rd game of the season and their 39th win. Last season it took the Orioles 125 games to win 39 games
Starters for Sunday’s matinee are expected to be lefty Jose Suarez (1-2, 4.30 ERA) for the Angels and righty Austin Voth (0-1, 3.86 ERA) for the Orioles.
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To help you out, here are some statistics and suggested picks to two of the questions from this week’s game.
Question #1: How many home runs will the Angels get against the Baltimore Orioles?
Potential Answers: 0, 1, 2, 3+
The Angels have struggled offensively of late hitting just .132 and have scored only ten runs in the first week of July. Part of the offensive struggles has been a lack of firepower as the Halos have hit just three home runs this month.
For the season, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim rank 10th in baseball with 102 home runs in 84 games. They rank 20th on the road with 39 home runs in 38 games. The Angels have played the fewest day games in the majors but have a mere 19 bombs in 23 day games.
Mike Trout leads the Angels with 23 home runs followed by Shohei Ohtani with 18, Jared Walsh with 13, and Taylor Ward with 12. Of Trout’s 23 home runs, nine have been hit on the road and four of the 23 have been hit during day games. Ohtani has also hit four during day games for the Halos.
As a pitching staff, the Orioles are stingy. In June they gave up 25 home runs in 25 games. That was the Top Five in baseball for the month. The month of July has been seen the O’s pitchers yield eight through the first six games. Sunday’s expected starter for the Orioles is Austin Voth. He has given up 17 hits in 16.1 innings this season but only one of the hits has left the yard.
Suggested Answer: The struggles on offense of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are well-documented. The Orioles’ pitchers have steadily improved this season. That said, doubtful Baltimore shuts out Trout. Expect one Angels’ home run on Sunday.
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Question #6: What will the total number of strikeouts thrown and earned runs allowed be for Baltimore pitchers on Sunday against the Angels?
Potential Answers: 0-4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10+ Strikeouts
0-1, 2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9+ Earned Runs Allowed
Baltimore pitching has been steadily improving this season and their statistics support that claim. Overall, this season they rank bottom third in baseball with only 599 K’s in 83 games (7.22 per game). They were dead last in the month of June. However, in July Baltimore has struck out 55 opposing hitters in 54.1 innings (7th in baseball).
In terms of earned runs allowed the Orioles rank bottom third for the season in baseball having given up 328 in 83 games. In June the average improved slightly with 97 opposing runners crossing the plate in 26 games. July’s short sample, though, has seen an uptick in the wrong direction. Baltimore has allowed 24 runs in six games this month.
It is feast or famine for Sunday’s starter Voth. We noted earlier he has given up approximately one hit per inning pitched. The same ratio holds in terms of strikeouts for the young righty as he has K’d 15 in 16.1 innings this season. O’s closer Jorge Lopez has 44 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched. Fellow reliever Felix Bautista has 41 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched.
Suggested Answers: Baltimore’s lack of power arms or experienced power arms has been an issue. However, no team has struck out more than the Angels. The Halos strike out an average of 9.6 times per game. That is an incredibly high number. As a result, expect the Orioles in spite of themselves to K eight Angels’ hitters.
LA’s offense has sputtered for much of the season but especially to start the month of July. Baltimore gives up on average just over four runs per game. It is an early start for a West Coast team that rarely plays during the day let alone during the day on the East Coast. Expect the Halos to struggle to score. They will score three runs Sunday.
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