Guardians vs. A’s MLB Betting Preview: Two Weakened Teams After the Trade Deadline

For many teams, there is something of a sense of anti-climax that comes once the trade deadline is over. These are generally the teams who were the sellers, and who know that once the excitement of the deal is over, they will be left with a team that will simply be playing out the rest of the season with no hope of any kind for success. The Cleveland Indians and Oakland A’s fall into that category, and they will meet on Saturday in Oakland as part of a 4-game MLB betting series.

Cleveland vs. Oakland MLB Game Info

Date/Time: Saturday, August 1st, 9:05 PM Venue: O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA TV: CSNCA Radio: KIQI 1010 Opening Line: Cleveland -105

#Windianspic.twitter.com/5s5RVzEXAW

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 31, 2015

It is difficult to find anything positive to say about the Cleveland Indians (47-54) through this point in the season. They have been underwhelming all year long, and have an offense that is totally anemic right now. They have spent the better part of the second half being blown out by everyone that they face, which is why their 12-1 win against the Kansas City Royals came as such a surprise. The followed that up with a solid win over the A’s in the first game of this series. At this stage of the season, with the playoffs no longer a real option, you have to set smaller goals. You would imagine that the Indians will try to devote the remainder of their season to getting back to .500. Cody Anderson (2-2, 3.26 ERA) will get the start for the Indians on Saturday. One of the biggest moves of this trade deadline period saw the Oakland A’s (45-58) send Scott Kazmir to the Houston Astros. That was a pretty big hole for the A’s to fill, and they tried to do so by bringing in a couple of new pitchers when they send Ben Zobrist to the Royals. The A’s are a team that need a lot of help, and the moves made in the past week are likely just the start of bigger things to come in the off-season. They are limping their way through the second half, and are on a losing stretch that have seen them lose 6 of their last 7 games. In fairness, the schedule maker has not been particularly kind to the A’s, and he will continue to be tough, with more series against contenders coming after this set with the Indians. Aaron Brooks came over in the Zobrist trade, and it is he who will get the start on Saturday.

MLB Injuries

Brooks has only pitched 4 innings in the major leagues this season, and there it may take him some time to get up to speed. That is something the Indians should be able to take advantage of en route to the win.