Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics Series Preview and Odds

Unfortunately for both the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics, the 2024 season has felt like a re-run of the 2023 campaign in which the Angels went 73-89 and the A’s went 50-112. Entering this weekend’s three-game series, both teams are well out of the American League Wild Card race and right now their main prerogative is to avoid the division cellar and keep their tradable assets healthy for the trade deadline.

The Angels had a rough start to July, losing seven of their first eight games — including a sweep by Oakland — but they bounced back to take three of four from the Seattle Mariners right before the All-Star break. While their 2024 World Series odds are still in the tank, Los Angeles will try to build off that momentum against a hapless Oakland team. The Angels are only five games ahead of the A’s in the AL West standings and they would like to build on that lead.

While the A’s are much more competitive than last season, they remain 24 games under .500 as their franchise’s long tenure in the Bay Area ends with a whimper.

Oakland has had a rough year across the board but the A’s are, somehow, one of the best home run hitting teams in baseball and that power at least gives them a chance against opponents with bad pitching staffs like that of the Angels.

Top Of Angels’ Rotation Is Decent

While there isn’t much to write home about regarding this Angels team, as the Angels vs A’s odds reflect, Los Angeles does have a few good starting pitchers and all of them will throw in this series. Griffin Canning, Tyler Anderson and José Soriano are Los Angeles’ probable pitchers.

Canning’s season-long numbers aren’t great particularly because his strikeout rate has plummeted but Anderson made the All-Star team and boasts a sub-3.00 ERA and Soriano has been pretty good since the start of June.

As a group, this trio won’t exactly be seen as world beaters. However, they are more than capable of holding an A’s lineup that heavily relies on the home run ball in check.

Anderson, in particular, is having a great season, his second All-Star campaign in his last three seasons. Los Angeles’ rotation struggles have certainly not been the result of the efforts of these three guys.

Oakland May Be Underrated

Don’t get me wrong; the A’s are still one of the worst teams in the Majors as only their closer, Mason Miller, and maybe slugger Brent Rooker are considered some of the best MLB players.

With that said, though, Oakland is far from being a weak pushover. Miller is a dominant closer, Rooker is among the league leaders in OPS+ and Oakland has hit the third-most home runs in the AL (and fourth-most in the Majors).

The overall offensive numbers aren’t great but this is an A’s team that can punish bad pitching. They rank 24th in runs scored yet have achieved the three highest single-game run outputs in 2024.

So, it’s clear that this team has the potential to put up runs in bunches even if those games are few and far between. The home run hitting isn’t a fluke and that’s a major concern for an Angels staff that gives up plenty of gopher balls.

Canning is particularly susceptible to the longball as he has allowed 18 in 102 1/3 innings, good (or bad) for 1.6 per nine innings. The Angels vs A’s odds may have things straight down the middle but Oakland’s home run proclivity may give the A’s an advantage heading into Friday’s game.

Plus, if the A’s can build an early lead, they’ll be able to rely on effective setup man Lucas Erceg and Miller to shut the door.

Take A’s To Beat Up On Canning

Considering all that, Oakland is a pretty good bet here. While the A’s are not the kind of team you want to have MLB futures bets on, they are a smart pick against the Angels with JP Sears — one of Oakland’s more reliable starters this season — going against Canning. Los Angeles may have a better record than Oakland but the Angels aren’t much better statistically and Sears has been decent. Go with the A’s straight up at -110.

Also, take the over 8.5 runs. Athletics amd Los Angeles’ offenses have not been especially productive this season, but with the A’s’ home run potential and their shaky pitching outside of Sears, Miller, and Erceg, this game could see a lot of runs.

A night to remember 🤟💚 pic.twitter.com/zZq5YN9xvo

— Oakland A’s (@Athletics) July 17, 2024

Oakland vs Angels Odds

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