The Oakland Athletics will finish their three-game series at the ‘Big A' as they take on the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday afternoon in Anaheim. It's time to continue our MLB odds coverage with an Athletics-Angels prediction and pick.
The Athletics defeated the Angels 3-1 on Wednesday. It was a big day at Angels Stadium, as Shohei Ohtani was on the mound for the Angels. It was scoreless in the fourth when Sean Murphy smacked an RBI single off Ohtani, giving the A's the 1-0 lead. Then, Luis Rengifo answered back in the fifth with an RBI double, tying the game. Murphy approached the plate in the sixth and faced off with Ohtani with one runner on. Next, Murphy took Shohei deep to left field, drilling a two-run bomb to give the A's the lead back. It would be enough to win.
James Kaprielian got the win for Oakland, tossing 5 1/3 innings while allowing one earned run on six hits. Meanwhile, Ohtani got the loss, going 5 2/3 innings and only getting bested by Murphy.
Today, Paul Blackburn takes the mound for the A's. Blackburn is 6-6 with a 4.15 ERA. However, he had an ugly July, going 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA over five starts. The one bright spot was his last start, where he tossed five scoreless innings while allowing five hits. Blackburn is 0-0 with a 2.38 ERA in two starts against the Angels in 2022. Additionally, he is 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in two career starts at Angels Stadium.
Janson Junk will take the mound for the Angels. Junk is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Recently, he tossed five scoreless innings, while allowing four hits with eight strikeouts. Junk has never faced the Athletics.
Here are the Athletics-Angels MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Angels Odds
Oakland Athletics: -1.5 (+172)
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-210
Over: 8.5 (-105)
Under: 8.5 (-115)
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Athletics are one of the worst teams in baseball. They cannot hit and they cannot pitch. However, they match up well against the Angels. Their battles are always close.
The Athletics rank 30th in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage, 29th in runs, 25th in home runs, and 29th in slugging percentage. Murphy and Tony Kemp are the two guys they rely on for any juice. Murphy is now hitting .245 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs. Also, he is batting .250 (8 for 32) with one home run, five RBIs, and run over nine games against the Angels in 2022. Murphy is batting .245 with five home runs, 17 RBIs, and 10 runs over 32 games against the Angels in his career. Alternatively, he loves playing at Angels Stadium, batting .315 (17 for 54) with one home run, six RBIs, and three runs over 15 games.
Kemp is only batting .214 with four home runs, 21 RBIs, and 32 runs. However, he is batting .125 (3 for 24) with one run over eight games against the Angels in 2022. Kemp has a career mark of .212 with two home runs, eight RBIs, and 18 runs over 62 games against the Halos.
The A's will cover the spread if Blackburn can give them a quality game. Additionally, Oakland needs offense, and it usually comes from Murphy or Kemp when facing the Angels.
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
The Angels lost their season long ago, but ultimately made if official this week. They traded away Noah Syndergaard, Raisel Iglesias, and Brandon Marsh. Now, the future is now. It has been an abysmal season for the Angels, and their offense is the biggest culprit.
The Angels rank 26th in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage, 26th in runs, 14th in home runs, and 23rd in slugging percentage. Ohtani can only do so much, and even he is struggling. He is batting .253 with 22 home runs, 62 RBIs, and 58 runs, well below his pace set last season. Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon are injured again, leaving the remains of the team to pick up the mess. Jo Adell was once their top prospect and he cannot seem to get a hit anymore. Also, David Fletcher continues to struggle upon his return from injury. He went 0 for 3 on Wednesday. Rengifo has been the lone bright spot, batting .278 with four home runs and 23 RBIs. Likewise, he went 2 for 4.
The Angels will only cover the spread if Junk pitches well and the bats actually give them a few runs. Likewise, the bullpen must hold up. The Angels need to play cohesively to win any games.
Final Athletics-Angels Prediction & Pick
Neither team is good and it seems to be a battle for last. Also, both games ended 3-1. What's to say this one won't? Expect another low-scoring game with the Athletics and the Angels struggling to score.
Final Athletics-Angels Prediction & Pick: Under: 8.5 (-115)
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