We’re used to a bit slower action in the MLB on Thursdays, and on this Thursday, September 29, we have ten games including this divisional duel, so make sure you get the best Athletics vs. Angels betting pick and odds.

Oakland and Los Angeles will play the third of a three-game series at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, and the Angels are -250 moneyline favorites on BetOnline Sportsbook, while the total is set at 7 runs. These AL West foes have met 13 times this year before this series, and the Angels lead 9-4. They also won Game 1 of the current series, while Game 2 will be played on Wednesday night.

Athletics cemented their place at the bottom of the American League

The Oakland Athletics will end the season as the worst team in the American League as they are five wins behind the Detroit Tigers with only eight games remaining. Oakland lost four of the last five games including the opening one of this series against the Los Angeles Angels.

The A’s got to a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning, but the Angels responded with three runs of their own and later added one more in the 8th to seal a 4-3 victory. Nick Allen was the best Oakland batter in this defeat as he contributed with two RBIs, while alongside him, Shea Langeliers was the only one with a multi-hit display. James Kaprielian (4-9) allowed three runs on ten hits with five strikeouts and no walks in 6.0 innings, while reliever A.J. Puk took his third loss of the campaign and dropped to a 3-3 record.

Cole Irvin (9-12) will get on the hill for the 29th time this year when he faces the Angels on Thursday. The 28-year-old left-hander has a 4.05 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 117/35 K/BB ratio over 171.0 innings.

Angels edged the Athletics at home

The Los Angeles Angels are not going to finish the season among the top 10 in the American League, but at least they improved their form a bit and won three of the previous four games. After winning the series against the Minnesota Twins on the road, the Angels opened this series with the A’s with a 4-3 victory.  

Los Angeles quickly responded to a 3-0 Oakland lead with three runs in the 2nd inning through Matt Thaiss, Livan Soto, and Luis Rengifo. The Angels had four individuals with 2+ hits, including Shohei Ohtani, who will serve as a starting pitcher in Game 3. Patrick Sandoval (6-9) started Game 1 and pitched for 5.1 innings during which he surrendered three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Ryan Tepera (5-3) was credited with a win, while Jimmy Herget earned his 7th save of the season.

Shohei Ohtani (14-8) is getting his 27th start of the year when he takes on Oakland on Thursday. The 28-year-old right-hander has been phenomenal this season with a 2.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 203/42 K/BB ratio across 153.0 innings of work.

Trends:

Oakland:

  • 6-14 in the last 20 games vs. a right-handed starter
  • 1-4 in the last five road games

Los Angeles:

  • 4-1 in the last five home games
  • 5-2 in the last seven games vs. a left-handed starter
  • 4-0 in the last four home games vs. a left-handed starter

Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels Pick

The month of September was kind to Shohei Ohtani and not so kind to Cole Irvin, who registered an 8.49 ERA in four starts this month. On the other hand, Ohtani is experiencing his best month of the campaign with a 1.44 ERA and has three consecutive wins. Irvin lost each of his three starts against the Angels this season, and I think he will suffer another defeat on Thursday. He allows a .303 batting average against Los Angeles and should be aware of Ohtani, who is .318 against Irvin and blasted a pair of homers with three RBIs in 27 at-bats.

Pick: Take the Angels at -1.5 Run Line (-110)

The Total

Although Irvin lost all three of his starts against the Angels, he posted a surprisingly strong 2.70 ERA across 20.0 innings. Ohtani is even better against Oakland with a microscopic 1.54 ERA over 11.2 innings, so I don’t think we will have a high-scoring game here. Under is 4-0 in Ohtani’s last four home starts vs. a team with a losing record; Under is 20-8-2 in the previous 30 H2H meetings, while Under is 4-1 in the last five H2H duels in Los Angeles.

Pick: Go Under 7.5 runs (-125)