It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Giants-Athletics prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Giants-Athletics.
The San Francisco Giants are getting some great pitching, but they are wasting it. They lost 2-0 to the Oakland A's on Saturday. Several days earlier, they lost 1-0 and 4-3 in 10 innings, wasting more great pitching. The 1-0 loss squandered a magnificent performance from Blake Snell, who is one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. Snell shut out the Atlanta Braves in 6 1/3 innings, striking out 11. He couldn't have been much better. Yet, Chris Sale dominated the San Francisco batting order in seven shutout innings. The game remained scoreless through nine and the Braves won in 10. It has been that kind of a season for the Giants, whose hitting has been woefully inadequate. The Giants' loss to the A's on Saturday put them one game further behind the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, the two teams leading the race for the third and final National League wild card spot (with the Braves ahead of the Mets going into Sunday). The Giants simply can't lose many games against opponents who are well below .500. They will have to play the good teams in the National League West in the remaining weeks of the season. They can't expect to dominate those games. Breaking even would be respectable. San Francisco has to feast on lesser teams, but it stumbled on Saturday. This game on Sunday feels like a must-win for the Giants.
Giants-Athletics Projected Starters
Blake Snell vs. JP Sears
Blake Snell (2-3) has a 3.91 ERA. He is as good as it gets right now. He struggled in the early part of the season because free agency carried deep into spring training, and he didn't have a full spring in which to get physically trained and polished. Now, though, Snell is dialed in. He is at the top of his game right now, and it's a chore for any hitter to go up against him.
Last Start: Monday, August 12 vs the Atlanta Braves: 6 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 3 BB, 11 K
2024 Road Splits: 5 starts, 28 1/3 IP, 18 H, 16 R, 4 HR, 12 BB, 32 K
JP Sears (10-8) has a 4.32 ERA. Sears' ERA has gone down in his last few starts. He has had a few clunkers this year but has often given the A's quality starts. He's 10-8 in 18 decisions on what is a bad team. Sears is one of the more underrated pitchers in baseball, given that Oakland is baseball purgatory and far out of the national limelight with no relevance whatsoever in the division and wild card races.
Last Start: Sunday, August 11 vs the Toronto Blue Jays: 7 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 HR, 3 BB, 4 K
2024 Home Splits: 11 starts, 57 2/3 IP, 57 H, 33 R, 6 HR, 12 BB, 40 K
Here are the Giants-Athletics MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Giants-Athletics Odds
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (-104)
Moneyline: -172
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +144
Over: 7 (-122)
Under: 7 (+100)
How to Watch Giants vs Athletics
Time: 4:08 p.m. ET/1:08 p.m. PT
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area (Giants) / NBC Sports California (Athletics) / MLB Network, MLB Extra Innings
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Giants Will Cover The Spread/Win
Blake Snell is going to continue to pitch at an elite level. If the Giants can score just three or four runs, that might be enough to cover the spread.
Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win
The A's saw JP Sears thrive against the Giants a few weeks ago. The A's will cover the spread if Sears can replicate that level of form here.
Final Giants-Athletics Prediction & Pick
Betting on Blake Snell to pitch well is smart. Betting on Blake Snell to win when Chris Sale is not the opposing pitcher: also smart. Take the Giants.
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Final Giants-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Giants -1.5