Who's ready for some west coast action? The Oakland Athletics will travel to Anaheim to battle it out with the Los Angeles Angels. It is time to take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series, where our Athletics-Angels prediction and pick will be revealed.
Standing with a record of 56-97 entering the final week of the regular season, the A's are eager to do everything in their power to avoid the 100-loss mark. After getting trounced by the Mets 13-4 at home, Oakland will look to reverse their fortune out on the road by calling upon RHP James Kaprielian, who is 4-9 with a 4.43 ERA in his 24 games started.
Without a doubt, the 2022 Los Angeles Angels have been a massive disappointment. It seems like an eternity ago when the Halos got off to one of the best starts in all of baseball only to fall flat on their faces the rest of the way. Now, as the conclusion of their season sits on the horizon, the Angels are desperate to find any sort of momentum heading into next year. The Angels will give the baseball to lefty Patrick Sandoval for the start, as he is 6-9 with a flashy 3.01 in 25 games started on the year.
Here are the Athletics-Angels MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Angels Odds
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-120)
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (+100)
Over: 8 (-112)
Under: 8 (-108)
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
After a not-too-shabby 86-76 record in 2021, the A's took a large step back in their current pursuit of a total rebuild within the franchise. Conversely, this was expected by many as Oakland decided to part ways with names like Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Chris Bassitt, and even Sean Manaea were all shipped off less than a week before Opening Day. Because of this, the A's have struggled to find a firm foundation and consistent play from some of their younger players on the roster.
For starters, there's no denying how awful this offense has been this year, but there were some signs of life over the course of the past couple of games against the Mets even though they were blown out in both. Regardless, it will be vital for this A's lineup that ranks dead-last in many offensive categories to jump on Los Angeles' pitching early and often. If there is going to be a breakout performance from one of these hitters, look no further than catcher Sean Murphy to continue to be one of the premier hitting backstops in the league with a solid day at the plate. Up to this point, Murphy is slashing .253 while having driven in 66 RBIs, which both lead the team.
On the bump, the importance of a stellar outing from Kaprielian will be extremely important for a spread-covering triumph. Even though he has displayed a slew of struggles at times, the 28-year-old righty does possess a filthy pitching arsenal and is coming off of an impressive showing in which he tossed seven innings of shutout ball while striking out six against a playoff-worthy Mariners squad.
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
Will the Angels ever be able to figure it out? This season, the short answer to that question has been a resounding no. Yes, there have been flashes that the Angels could've been a playoff team this year, but injuries, inconsistent play, and downright embarrassing moments have prevented them from those aspirations. Nevertheless, the Angels are slightly more talented than the A's on paper and have a few advantages to get the job done later tonight.
Currently 10-12 during the month of September, the Angels are attempting to finish off the next few days with a winning record over the span of 30 days since they went 14-8 in April. Without a doubt, it has been a struggle for Los Angeles, but the same cannot be said about the Halos' two top playmakers. Individually, center fielder Mike Trout has continued to build off of his illustrious Hall-of-Fame resume as he is only three long-balls away from the 40-homer mark for the third time in his career. Additionally, international superstar and two-way player Shohei Ohtani is seven RBIs away from reaching the 100 mark for the second straight season. These two tremendous talented greats are a big reason why the Angels could cover the spread against their division rivals on Tuesday night.
The biggest difference maker in this one will come in the form of Patrick Sandoval, as he enters this one with a favorable pitching matchup against a poor Oakland offense. Throughout the year, Sandoval has been one of LA's lone bright spots this season. In what should be his second-to-last outing before the offseason, the promising 25-year-old lefty is 2-3 with a 1.65 ERA in six career starts versus Oakland as he will look to continue his dominating track record against them.
Final Athletics-Angels Prediction & Pick
Even though neither team has much to play for at this point, both sides would love to secure bragging rights against their bitter rival. With that being said, the command that Sandoval has had against the A's in his career and this season will be just enough for the Halos to win by at least two runs in this one.
Final Athletics-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Angels -1.5 (+100)
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