Sport: MLBPick Selection: Oakland A's
At 10:05pm our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Angels. When was the last time a club with a team batting average of .260 won a division pennant? Oakland is on the verge of doing just that. With less than a week to go, it is the 13th worst hitting team in the American League, ahead of only Tampa Bay. Teams like Kansas City (.269), Baltimore (.277) and Cleveland (a surprising .281) are all hitting better than Oakland, whose 92 wins are miles beyond what any of those teams has been able to do this season. This is clearly a tribute to its pitching -- both its starters and its bullpen. Huston Street has emerged as one of the top closers in the game and tonight's starter, lefty veteran Barry Zito, is 16-9 with a 3.89 ERA and the A's have won 21 of his 33 starts. The team hitting might be below average overall, but the A's have clearly found a way to score timely runs and take advantage of runner-on-base situations all year. This series has been dominated this year by the visiting team as in 10 games played in Oakland, the Angels have won seven, and in five games played in L.A. the A's have won four. And Zito's numbers on the road have been much better than at home. His ERA away from Oakland is 3.02 and in 16 road starts he has won 10 and lost only two. Take Oakland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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