Haren Faces Old Team
Dan Haren blossomed into a staff ace and an American League All-Star with the Oakland Athletics. So it was no surprise, given the Athletics’ history, that he would leave the team – and it’s the Arizona Diamondbacks who have benefited.
Haren will face his former club for the first time Wednesday when the Diamondbacks and Athletics continue their three-game series at Chase Field.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Arizona -149 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 90% of bets for this game have been placed on Arizona –149 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Oakland (39-31) has made a habit of losing some of its best players when their price tags have gone up, most notably former AL MVPs Jason Giambi and Miguel Tejada, who both left as free agents.
Haren (6-4, 3.41 ERA) won 14 games in each of his first two seasons with Oakland before going 15-9 with a 3.07 ERA – the sixth-lowest mark in the majors – in 2007 and earning his first All-Star berth. He was then dealt along with pitcher Connor Robertson to Arizona (37-34) this past offseason for six players.
"I’m extremely excited," Haren said at the time of the trade. "Just having spent a couple of spring trainings in Phoenix, me and my wife really love the town. There’s just so much to do, and the team is obviously on the rise – a lot of young guys. It looks like a fun team to be on."
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Haren has certainly enjoyed his new home. He’s 6-1 with a 2.56 ERA in eight starts at Chase Field this season.
The right-hander is also unbeaten in his last three starts overall. He allowed two runs in six innings of a 5-4, 10-inning win over the New York Mets on Thursday. He’s also won five straight interleague starts, posting a 2.57 ERA in those games.
Haren will try to slow down an Oakland lineup that produced six homers to open this series with a 15-1 win Tuesday. Mark Ellis homered twice and he and Ryan Sweeney each had three hits and scored four runs as the A’s won their fourth straight.
"Our offense was our best performance of the year," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "We had five homers, five doubles, eight or nine walks. It’s obviously a good recipe to score runs."
Lost in the offensive barrage was Justin Duchscherer, who allowed one run in eight innings. Oakland starters are 4-0 with a 1.05 ERA over the last four games.
The last A’s starter to lose was Joe Blanton (3-9, 4.23), who leads the AL in defeats. Blanton fell to 0-3 with a 5.49 ERA in his last three outings after surrendering four runs – all on a grand slam by Hideki Matsui – over 6 2-3 innings in a 4-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday.
Geren believes Blanton, who has a 3.95 ERA in two June starts in June, is close to getting back on the winning track.
"In his last two outings he’s been throwing the ball better than he has all year," Geren said. "Joe is on his game."
The right-hander has never faced Arizona, but is 6-3 with a 2.99 ERA in 12 career interleague starts.
The Diamondbacks have been outscored 35-7 during a three-game slide, and have lost 14 out of their last 21 games.
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