Albert Suarez's return to the majors has gone well so far after five years pitching internationally, as he's thrown 5.2 scoreless innings in each of his two starts, building up to 89 pitches in his most recent outing. He's exceeded 15 outs in three of his five starts (including Triple-A) and threw plenty of innings abroad the last few years. This may be his last MLB start for a while with the rotation getting healthier, and I expect him to be at his best against an A's offense that's one of the worst in baseball at 2.75 runs per game, including nine straight games with three runs or fewer. The matchup and the focus of making one final MLB impression should lead to this Over.

Oakland is providing an irresistible combination for "under" results...very good pitching combined with very poor hitting. For the latter, recent numbers tell the story, with only 19 runs scored across the past nine games, but combined with solid work on the mound that pitchers like Sunday starter Paul Blackburn (2.03 ERA) has provided thus far, "unders" (12-6-1 last 19 A's games) almost seem inevitable. Add in Birds starter Albert Suarez not allowing an earned run in two starts and the recipe for another low-scoring Oakland game (as the first two in this series) in easy to identify. Play A's-O's "Under"