The Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics open a quick two-game series at the Coliseum on Monday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Angels-Athletics prediction and pick.

Two AL West clubs collide as the Angels and the Athletics look to gain ground on the division-leading Houston Astros. Oakland has a 5.5-game lead over the Angels in the division, but both clubs are still looking up. This is a crucial two-game set as these teams have struggled lately and need to find some momentum going forward.

Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Angels-Athletics odds.

MLB Odds: Angels-Athletics Odds

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Los Angeles Angels -1.5 (+153)

Oakland Athletics +1.5 (-173)

Over 8 Runs (-112)

Under 8 Runs (-108)

Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread

The Los Angeles Angels are in the midst of yet another mediocre season. They are 46-46 and have been much better at home. The Angels are five games under .500 in road games, thanks in large part to their below-average pitching staff that has allowed 5.44 runs per game. Los Angeles has lost 13 of their last 17 in Oakland and four of their last six games overall coming in. Shohei Ohtani has been a revelation this season, but it's clear that one man can't lead a team to the promised land in Major League Baseball.

The Angels will be thrilled to hand the ball to their two-way superstar to open the series. Ohtani is having a phenomenal season on the bump with a 4-1 record and 3.49 ERA through 13 starts. The hard-throwing right-hander has struck out a whopping 87 batters through 67 innings of work. His ERA is a bit inflated because of his horrible seven-run performance in just 0.2 innings against the Yankees back on June 30. However, he bounced back with a two-run outing over seven innings against the Red Sox in his next start.

Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread

The Oakland Athletics have played very well this season after their slow start back in April. They are 53-42 and 3.5 games back of the Houston Astros in the AL West standings. The A's currently hold a 2.5-game lead over the Blue Jays and Mariners for the second wild-card spot in the American League. They are four games over .500 at home despite losses in five of their last seven games at the Coliseum coming in. Their winning record is hard to explain because they currently hold a -0.21 average run differential in home games.

Oakland will hand the ball to left-hander Cole Irvin to open the series. Irvin has been productive for Oakland despite his low strikeout rate. The 27-year-old southpaw has a 6-8 record and 3.65 ERA through 18 starts. He has struck out just 78 batters through 106 innings of work, which is a testament to his ability to pound the strike zone and keep the ball in the ballpark. Irvin has been dominant lately with a 2.95 ERA over his last seven starts.

Final Angels-Athletics Prediction & Pick

The Los Angeles Angels are a tough team to bet on because their talent is so deceiving. They possess a ton of potent bats, which leads you to believe that they should win more games than they do. Their pitching is well below average, which explains the fact that the over has hit in 12 of their last 16 road games. Although Ohtani is on the bump, his control has been a bit of an issue and I don't expect him to shut the Athletics out in Oakland. The A's will stick around and that means that runs will be put on the board in the opener.

FINAL PICK: Over 8 Runs (-112)