Game Preview: Dodgers Take on Athletics in Mini Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics will kick off a two-game series tonight at Chavez Ravine. Unless the two teams meet in the Fall Classic, they will only play one other mini-series at the beginning of August. Hyu-jin Ryu will take the mound tonight against Oakland’s Sean Manaea. Here is an in-depth game preview of the two west coast teams.

Ryu is coming off a terrible game in Arizona where he allowed 3 earned runs and walked five Diamondbacks. Not a great start for a guy looking to rebound in his contract year. While his velocity did look to be on the rise, his control was way off all game. He will look to bounce back against an A’s team that has put up some decent offensive numbers early on.

Sean Manaea will make his third start of the season, and he is off to a hot start for Oakland. In two games Manaea has combined to throw for 15.2 innings and allowed just two earned runs, putting him at a 1.13 earned run average. Manaea has also held opposing hitters to a lowly 137 batting average and kept his WHIP well under one.  Manaea is also looking to rebound from a down year in 2017, where he pitched to a 4.37 era and lost ten games.

Players to Watch

Matt Chapman- A local product, Chapman was drafted by the A’s out of Cal State Fullerton in 2014. After a moderate rookie campaign last season, Chapman has been crushing the ball in 2018. He currently has a 375 batting average and has already hit three home runs.

Blake Treinen- Treinen has been a dominant force out of Oakland’s bullpen this season. In six innings of relief work, he is yet to allow a run.

Yasmani Grandal- Grandal has been one of the more consistent leaders for the Dodgers’ offense thus far. He is leading the team in batting average and OBP, but has also struck out ten times already.

Chase Utley– Utley has been a surprising contributor early on this season, as we noted earlier today. Utley will receive even more playing time if the offense continues to struggle.

Analysis

The Dodgers and A’s have a rich history dating back to the early eighties. The two teams faced off in the 1988 World Series and well..we all know how that one ended. *Double Fist-Pumps