Athletics at Angels
The Oakland Athletics attempt to remain successful on their road trip when they visit the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday for the third contest of their four-game series. Oakland has won three of the first four games on its trek after posting a 7-2 victory on Friday.
After the Athletics dropped the series opener, Matt Olson took matters into his own hands, going 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs. The 25-year-old is 4-for-7 with three blasts and six RBIs over the first two games of the set and has gone deep an American League-leading 16 times since May 12, while Mark Canha provided the rest of Oakland's offense, going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer while scoring three runs. Shohei Ohtani continued to swing a hot bat by collecting three hits while Albert Pujols delivered an RBI single for the Angels, who saw their five-game home winning streak come to an end. Ohtani has gone 9-for-15 during his five-game hitting streak, registering a pair of three-hit performances in that stretch.
TV: 10:07 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Oakland), FS West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Brett Anderson (7-5, 4.26 ERA) vs. Angels LH Tyler Skaggs (7-6, 4.30)
Anderson is coming off his roughest outing of the season, a loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday in which he was battered for seven runs and nine hits over three innings. The 31-year-old Texan allowed three runs or fewer in each of his previous six turns, going 3-1 in that span. Anderson scattered three hits over six scoreless innings en route to a win against Los Angeles in his season debut on March 30 to improve to 3-3 with a 3.19 ERA in 14 career games (11 starts) versus the club.
Skaggs has allowed four runs over 17 1/3 innings while winning each of his last three starts - all on the road. The 27-year-old Californian, who has registered 14 strikeouts and issued two walks during his winning streak, scattered four hits over five scoreless frames at St. Louis on Sunday. Skaggs has not fared well against Oakland in his career, going 2-8 with a 5.49 ERA in 12 starts after losing both of his turns thus far this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Athletics SS Marcus Semien has hit safely in 22 of his last 24 games after recording his team's other hit on Friday.
2. Pujols is riding a six-game hitting streak while Angels rookie 2B Luis Rengifo is 4-for-8 in the series.
3. Canha has recorded four of his 12 hits this month over his last three games.