The San Francisco Giants will cross the bridge to battle their regional rival, the Oakland Athletics, for the first of three games in what is called the Bay Bridge Series. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Giants-Athletics prediction and pick.
The Giants have the best record in baseball at 78-43. Earlier this week, they became the first team to cash their Over /Under season betting wins total after surpassing 75.5 wins after their victory against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. This feat makes them the third-earliest team to clinch either an Over or Under season wins total in a 162-game season since 1990 via SportsOddsHistory.com.
Meanwhile, the Athletics are in second place of the American League West with a 69-53 record. They currently have hold of a Wildcard spot but hope to surpass the Houston Astros, who have just a 2.5 game lead in the division.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the Giants-Athletics Odds.
MLB Odds: Giants-Athletics Odds
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+132)
Oakland Athletics +1.5 (-152)
Over 9 runs (-107)
Under 9 runs (-113)
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
The Giants are 75-46 against the run line this season, which is the best in the league. However, when they are considered the away favorite, they only cover 40.7% of the time.
San Francisco plans to start Alex Wood on the mound. The lefty is 10-3 this season and has an ERA of 4.14. The 30-year-old veteran threw 6.2 innings in his last time out, surrendering just two earned runs while giving up six hits. In the matchup against the A's earlier this season, Wood allowed one earned run in 5.1 innings pitched.
🌁🌁🌁 pic.twitter.com/581aIuimrp
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 18, 2021
The Giants' success this season can be credited to their offense. They are second in the MLB with 181 home runs and are fourth in slugging percentage at .437.
Individually, Brandon Crawford has had the biggest bat for the Giants this season. The shortstop has an impressive .300 batting average and leads the team with 19 home runs and 70 RBIs.
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
Oakland has also been impressive against the run line this season. They have covered in 67 of their 122 games. Additionally, in games they are considered the underdog they cover 65.8%.
Oakland plans to give James Kaprielian his sixteenth start of the season. The right-hander is 6-4 this season and has a 3.33 ERA. In his last start, he gave up three earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings pitched. This will be his first career meeting against the Giants.
Death, taxes, and Matt Olson homers pic.twitter.com/ZWYs6vewks
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 19, 2021
Oakland has been solid at-bat this season. They score an average of 4.52 runs per game and have an above average OPS at .724.
Individually, Matt Olsen has the most power on the team with 31 home runs, which is the fourth most in the MLB this season. However, the x-factor in this matchup will be Matt Chapman. In the three previous meetings against the Giants this season, Champman has recorded five RBIs and one home run.
Final Giants-Athletics Prediction & Pick
The Giants will have a favorable match against Kaprielian. According to covers.com, San Francisco has the fourth-most homers in baseball when up against a right-handed pitcher and is top-ten in RBIs and runs scored versus righties.
Additionally, the Giants are 4-1 in their last five roads games, while the Athletics are 1-4 in their last five games overall. For those reasons, look for the best team in baseball to continue their dominance and defeat their rival in game one of the series.
FINAL GIANTS-ATHLETICS PREDICTION & PICK: Giants ML (-117)
Follow Us
Subscribe