Subscribe
Follow Us
The San Francisco Giants will host the Oakland Athletics in a three-game series set to begin on Friday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Athletics-Giants prediction and pick.
San Francisco will be going for their fourth-straight victory and ninth in their last 10 games. The Giants just continue to defy the odds and control the entire league this season. This is no longer a fluke as they have the best record in the National League and are in command of the loaded NL West. Oakland isn't far off and will look to bounce back after a tough start to the week.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Athletics-Giants odds.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Giants Odds
Oakland Athletics -1.5 (+152)
San Francisco Giants +1.5 (-172)
Over 8 Runs (+100)
Under 8 Runs (-120)
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Oakland Athletics are currently 46-31 and two games back of the red-hot Astros in the AL West. Oakland has been playing well this month as they are 14-6 over their last 20 games to date. They have lost four of their last six games and will look to get back on track in this highly touted inter-league series. They have played very well on the road with a 21-13 record this season.
The Athletics are currently averaging 4.58 runs per game, which is the 11th-best mark in the league. Their offense has been significantly better in road games as they average 4.94 runs when playing away from home. Matt Olson has been red-hot for the A's and now has 20 long balls on the year. Oakland's pitching staff has done a great job as well with the 13th-best ERA and 12th-best WHIP in the Majors.
Oakland will turn to left-hander Sean Manaea for the series opener. Manaea has put together a stellar season this far with a 6-3 record and 3.01 ERA through 15 starts. He has struck out an impressive 89 batters over 86.2 innings of work as well. The southpaw has been lights out with a 1.65 ERA over his last seven starts coming in.
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
The San Francisco Giants have undoubtedly turned a corner and still sit alone at the top of the NL West as we get set to turn the calendars to July. The Giants are 48-26, which is the best record in the Majors to this point. They have won eight of their last 10 games and six of their last seven at home. They now are an incredible 24-10 at Oracle Park.
The Giants have been one of the most productive offensive clubs in all of baseball with 5.03 runs scored per game. They also have the 12th-best batting average and fifth-best on-base percentage in the league. This team full of sluggers currently has the fourth-best slugging percentage at .434. San Francisco's offense has been stellar, but it's the pitching staff that really anchors this club. They have the sixth-best batting average against, third-best team ERA, and the best WHIP in the entire league.
San Francisco will turn to veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto for the series opener. Cueto has been solid for the Giants this season with a 5-3 record and 4.05 ERA through 11 starts. He has struggled lately with at least three earned runs allowed in each of his past three starts, though. San Francisco will certainly need a bounce-back performance from their starter if they'd like to hold off the A's offense.
Final Athletics-Giants Prediction & Pick
I'm going to ride the hot hand and pick the San Francisco Giants to win yet another ballgame at Oracle Park. The Giants have been incredible this season and their level of production at home is unmatched. The A's have lost four of their last five road games and I expect that trend to continue through the weekend. I give credit to Sean Manaea and what he's been able to do this season, but he will definitely need run support, which he didn't get in his last start against the Yankees.
FINAL PICK: San Francisco Giants ML (-101)
