Oakland and Cleveland are two of the most disappointing teams through the first half. The A's at least have somewhat of an excuse having gone 8-22 in games decided by one run. They have outscored their opponents by 42 runs. Cleveland, by contrast, is minus 17 in run differential.




The A's have been playing better winning 26 of their last 46 games. They finally won a one-run game on Saturday, which is a morale booster.




The pitching matchup is Sonny Gray versus Corey Kluber. I like Kluber, but I like Gray better.




Kluber had his magical season last year when he won the Cy Young Award. He's been dogged by bad luck this season. He's just 4-9. He's won only twice since May 28. His ERA is up a full run higher than last season at 3.45. Kluber also has struggled against Oakland with an 0-3 career mark in four appearances. The A's are batting .324 against him.




Gray hasn't been at a plus price all season. There's good reason for this. He's 9-3 with a 2.20 ERA. His strikeouts are up from his career number and his walks are down. He also has one of the lowest line drive rates.




Gray has been outstanding on the road posting a 6-1 mark with a 2.10 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. The Indians have been terrible all season at not driving in runners in scoring position.