Uncover Detailed Player Insights for Angels vs Athletics – Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Los Angeles Angels

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Athletics

The Oakland Athletics will host the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park on May 20, 2025, in what promises to be a key matchup within the American League West. Both teams are struggling this season, with Oakland sitting at 22-26 and the Angels at 21-25. This is the second game of their series, and the Athletics are eager to bounce back after a tough 4-3 loss to the Angels the previous day.

On the mound for Oakland will be Gunnar Hoglund, who has had a rocky start to the year. While his ERA sits at a respectable 3.78, advanced projections indicate he may have been a tad lucky, as his xERA of 4.95 and FIP of 5.13 suggest regression could be on the horizon. Hoglund has pitched three games this season with a 1-1 record, but he projects to allow 2.9 earned runs while striking out only 4.8 batters per outing, which is below average.

Counterpart Kyle Hendricks will take the ball for the Angels. Hendricks holds a 1-5 record and a disappointing ERA of 5.18, although projections hint at a potential improvement. He has managed to pitch 5.5 innings on average while allowing 3.4 earned runs, but his strikeout rate is concerning at just 14.5%. Both pitchers are right-handed, setting up an intriguing duel.

On the offensive side, Oakland’s bats have shown some promise, ranking as the 10th best in team batting average and 9th in home runs. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has struggled, ranking 23rd overall with a dismal 27th in batting average this season. Given the Angels’ tendency to strike out and the Athletics’ strong offensive depth, Oakland has the upper hand in this matchup. The Athletics are currently favored with a moneyline of -165, suggesting confidence in their ability to turn around their fortunes in this game.

Los Angeles Angels Insights

• Kyle Hendricks – Over/Under 3.5 Strikeouts (+130/-170)
  Kyle Hendricks’s 85.5-mph velocity on his fastball this season is a significant 2-mph decline from last year’s 87.5-mph mark.
  Explain: Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs, so a pitcher whose velocity decreases will likely see worse results.
• Travis d’Arnaud – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+145/-190)
  Travis d’Arnaud has been cold lately, with his seasonal exit velocity of 88.6-mph dropping to 72.7-mph in the past week.
  Explain: Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.
• Zach Neto – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+115/-145)
  Zach Neto pulls many of his flyballs (36.9% — 95th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards the game’s 6th-deepest LF fences in today’s game.
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Athletics Insights

• Athletics – 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline (-170)
  Gunnar Hoglund is an extreme flyball pitcher (35.7% FB% via the leading projection system, THE BAT) and has the misfortune of pitching in the #9 HR venue in MLB in this game.
  Explain: This pitcher’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.
• JJ Bleday – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-170/+130)
  Los Angeles’s #1-ranked outfield defense of all teams today poses a formidable challenge for JJ Bleday, who tends to hit a lot of flyballs.
  Explain: This player’s skill set matches up poorly with the opposing team’s defensive strength, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.
• Ranking 5th-highest in the league this year, Athletics batters collectively have compiled a 16.5° launch angle on their hardest-contacted balls (an advanced metric to study power ability).
  Explain: If you hit the ball hard but straight at the ground, it doesn’t do you any good. A player that is skilled at lifting his hardest hit balls into the air stands the best chance of turning them into extra-base hits or home runs.

Betting Trends

• Athletics – Over/Under 2.5 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total (-145/+115)
  The Athletics have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total Under in 25 of their last 41 games (+7.20 Units / 15% ROI)
• Los Angeles Angels – Moneyline (+145)
  The Los Angeles Angels have hit the Moneyline in 9 of their last 15 games (+8.45 Units / 56% ROI)
• JJ Bleday – Over/Under 0.5 Home Runs (+460/-750)
  JJ Bleday has hit the Home Runs Over in 2 of his last 6 games (+6.15 Units / 102% ROI)