The Miami Marlins take on the Oakland Athletics. Our MLB odds series has our Marlins Athletics prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Marlins Athletics.

The Oakland Athletics were the worst team in Major League Baseball in the first two months of the 2023 season. In their first 62 games of 2023, the A's won only 12 and were 12-50. At the end of June, one month later, they were more than 40 games under .500 at 21-62. This team has come a very long way in the first month of the 2024 season. Through 32 games, Oakland is almost at .500. The A's are 15-17 and just 2.5 games out of first place in the American League West, trailing the Seattle Mariners. Through 32 games one year ago, Oakland was just 6-26, so the A's are a full nine games better at this stage of the season compared to 2023. That's significant improvement. Oakland's bullpen has been one of the best in baseball, and closer Mason Miller has been the most unhittable closer in the sport this year, with his 102-mile-per-hour heat. Oakland has been really strong in its last 10 games, going 7-3 in a stretch which has included series versus the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. This team is really putting the pieces together, and it will be fascinating to see how long the A's can remain relevant in the division title chase. Right now, they're very much in it.

Here are the Marlins-Athletics MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Marlins-Athletics Odds

Miami Marlins: +1.5 (-210)

Oakland Athletics: -1.5 (+172)

Over: 7.5 (-122)

Under: 7.5 (+100)

How To Watch Marlins vs. Athletics

TV: Bally Sports Florida (Marlins) / NBC Sports California (A's) / MLB Extra Innings

Stream: ESPN Plus

Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT

*Watch Marlins-Athletics LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Marlins Could Cover The Spread

The Marlins have had a brutal season, but they finally started winning this week, having swept the Colorado Rockies and carrying a three-game winning streak into Oakland. The Marlins' bullpen got a lot of big outs against the Rockies. Miami generally stayed away from very big innings and was able to minimize an opponent's offensive damage, something it had not previously been able to do with any consistency. Now that this team has finally managed to stack some wins together, we could see more wins from this team and the creation of genuine momentum for the first time all season.

Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread

The A's might not be an especially good team, but unlike 2023, they're not a bad team. The A's were terrible in the first half of the 2023 season. Now they're mediocre — not great by any means, but not bad, either. Their bullpen, as noted above, has been lights-out. If this game is tied through six innings, the A's will have the edge in the seventh through ninth innings.

What also needs to be said is that Oakland starting pitcher J.P. Sears has been very good this season. In his most recent outing, he stumbled against the Orioles in a loss, but generally, he has been very good. He has pitched shutouts (non-complete games, but still very good) against the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees this season. Going up against a not-very-good Marlins team, he should do well.

The Marlins do have a three-game winning streak, but let's pump the brakes here: Miami beat the lowly Colorado Rockies, the one National League team as bad as — or worse than — the Marlins. Oakland is clearly a much better team than Miami.

Final Marlins-Athletics Prediction & Pick

The A's are getting a very big plus-money number here against a bad opponent. Why not go for it? Take Oakland.

Final Marlins-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Athletics -1.5