Athletics vs. Angels Monday MLB probable pitchers, odds: Ken Waldichuk tries to become first Oakland starting pitcher to record a win this season
How bad are the 2023 Oakland Athletics? It's April 24 and not one of their starting pitchers has a win yet, with that group combining to go 0-11 with an 8.88 ERA and an opponents' batting average of .316. It seems rather unlikely that drought will end Monday, as arguably the weakest link of the group, lefty Ken Waldichuk, is on the mound at the Los Angeles Angels, who are -205 favorites at Caesars Sportsbook.
The 22-game streak without a starting pitcher earning a win has tied the longest in franchise history. The 1964 Kansas City A's finished the season with a 20-game streak without a win for a starting pitcher, and continued the trend in the first two games of 1965.
The MLB modern-day record is 43 consecutive games by the 2022 Washington Nationals, which was snapped on Aug. 28, 2022, at Philadelphia by Patrick Corbin – one of the National League's worst pitchers. Prior to that, the big league record of 35 straight games without a starter winning was set by the 1949 Washington Senators.
Waldichuk (0-2, 7.65 ERA) comes off his best outing, throwing five scoreless inning vs. the Cubs, scattering five hits and walking three. That lowered his ERA from 10.20. Waldichuk has allowed three runs on 10 hits in 12.1 innings over his last two starts (2.19 ERA) after yielding 14 runs on 17 hits in 8.2 innings over the prior two outings (14.54 ERA).
The young lefty is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA in two career starts against the Angels. Los Angeles got Waldichuk for six runs and nine hits over 5.2 innings on April 2. Mike Trout is 4-for-5 off him with two doubles and a homer.
Overall, the A's are 3-18 in April, setting the Oakland record for losses in the month. Their 4-18 overall record puts them on pace for 29 wins. The 2003 Detroit Tigers, the worst team since the last round of expansion, won 43 games. Oakland's run differential of minus-103 is nearly double the next worst.
Jose Suarez (0-1, 9.26 ERA) starts for the Angels. In seven career games (four starts) against the Athletics, he is 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA over 34 innings. Last season, he made two starts vs. A's and went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and has an active 16.2 inning scoreless streak vs. Oakland.
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