Oakland at Arizona

Dan Haren faces his old team tonight. Haren has been excellent this season. Facing him is Joe Blanton who hasn't been winning, but has been pitching well. He's going nearly seven innings per start and has a respectable 4.23 ERA. The Athletics are hitting the ball well averaging 5.6 runs per game over their last seven. All season long they have performed well against RHP (5.2 runs per game and a 27-19 record). Arizona is not hitting well. They are averaging just 3.6 runs per game over their last seven and 2.6 in seven interleague games. The A's are 19-12 this season vs. winning teams while Arizona is just 7-16 against such teams! The D-Backs are just 2-19 since last season at home after a game in which they scored under two runs. Sure, Arizona has the pitching advantage here but this game also includes hitting. We like the Athletics as a dog.