Angels vs. Athletics Pick
The Los Angeles Angels open a series Monday afternoon at the Oakland Athletics. First pitch is at 4:05PM EST.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Angels are a -140 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Athletics are a +120 underdog, while the over-under is 9.5.
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Parker Bridwell (7-2, 3.52 ERA) will start for the Angels, while in Chris Smith (0-4, 6.27) is on the mound for the Athletics. Bridwell has a 1.22 WHIP with 54 strikeouts in 87 innings. He allowed seven earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks over three innings in a 10-8 home win over Oakland his last start. Smith carries a 1.37 WHIP with 26 strikeouts over 47 1/3 innings. He surrendered seven runs (six earned) on five hits with one strikeout and two walks in 3 2/3 innings of an 8-2 loss at the Angels.
Los Angeles enters with a 70-67 record and is 32-36 on the road, while Oakland comes in at 58-78 and 37-31 at home. The Angels have won six of the last 10 meetings and the over-under is 5-5 in the 10 games.
Over the weekend, Los Angeles lost two out of three at the Rangers including a 7-6 defeat Sunday. Brandon Phillips was 2-for-5 with two runs at the top of the lineup. Mike Trout went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and two runs. Justin Upton finished 2-for-2 with a run and three walks. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. CJ Cron contributed a double and two RBIs, while Kole Calhoun added two hits. Andrew Heaney gave up five earned runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings to take the loss. Oakland lost its sixth game in a row Sunday as it fell 10-2 at the Mariners. Daniel Gossett took the loss as he surrendered three earned runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings. Matt Olson was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
The Athletics are a much, much better team at home but also have nothing to play for and Smith hasn’t shown much of anything at the MLB level. Look for Bridwell to bounce back with a different game plan against the team that knocked him around his last start.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES ANGELS -140