Cleveland Guardians vs Oakland Athletics Prediction: Can the Athletics end their poor run?

Thursday's Major League Baseball action at Progressive Field features a matchup between the Oakland Athletics and the Cleveland Guardians.

The Cleveland Guardians have scored at least four runs in eight of their past thirteen games, including a total of 18 runs in their most recent three games. When scoring four or more runs in a game, the Guardians have won seven of their past nine contests. Jose Ramirez leads the Guardians with 78 hits and 44 runs batted in, while Steven Kwan and Amed Rosario have combined for 143 hits and 43 runs batted in. When Gavin Williams hits the mound, it will be the first time he has pitched in the major leagues. During his time in the minor leagues, Williams had a record of 9-6 with a 2.10 earned run average and 230 strikeouts. The Cleaveland Guardians have a record of 4-1 in their last 5 games played at home and a record of 2-5 in their last 7 games played on Thursday.

The Oakland Athletics have scored three or fewer runs in each of their previous seven games, and they have scored three runs or fewer in each of their last three games. The Athletics have now lost six straight games in which they scored three runs or fewer. While Esteury Ruiz leads the Oakland Athletics in hits and RBI with 75 and 29, respectively, Brent Rooker and Ryan Noda have combined for 105 hits and 64 RBI between the two of them. The next pitcher is Paul Blackburn, with a 3.48 earned run average and 23 strikeouts so far this season. In his career, Blackburn's record against the Guardians is 1-1 with a 2.96 earned run average and 15 strikeouts. The Oakland Athletics have a record of 14-39 in their previous 53 games played away from home, while their overall record over the last 69 games played is 17-52.

I have this thing where I don't want to back pitchers who are making their first appearance in the major leagues. You have no concept of what to anticipate happening next. On the other hand, the Guardians' offensive has been picking up, which tells me that they can help the child out if he is having difficulty. In addition, the Oakland Athletics have reverted to their awful form, as the offense is unable to produce and they are once again accumulating a string of defeats. As a result, the Cleaveland Guardians should come out on top.