Athletics vs Angels Picks & Odds – Aug 12
- The Athletics and Angels wrap up a three-game series on Thursday afternoon (Aug. 12, 4:10 pm ET)
- Oakland brought a nine-game win streak into the series, but Los Angeles shut that down with a one-run win on Monday
- Find the latest odds, analysis and a pick for the game in the article below
The Oakland Athletics were baseball’s hottest team when they entered this week’s series against the Los Angeles Angels.
But the A’s saw their nine-game moneyline streak end with a 10-9 loss to the Angels, and these AL West foes close their series at 4:10 pm ET on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Angels vs Athletics Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Angels | -111 | -1.5 (+160) | Over 9 (-117) |
| Oakland Athletics | +101 | +1.5 (-180) | Under 9 (-103) |
Odds taken Aug. 11.
Angels Snap A’s Streak
The Oakland Athletics have the best record in the American League, thanks to a league-best nine game winning streak. But they ran into the league’s best player, Mike Trout, whose two homers helped power the Angels to a win.
An overlay of Mike Trout’s two homers last night, courtesy of @PitchingNinja pic.twitter.com/k9uBbkhBau
— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) August 11, 2020
The season series is now 3-2 for Oakland, with four of the five games decided by three or fewer runs. Last year, Oakland dominated L.A. in the season series, 13-6.
Athletics Career Stats vs Canning
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Semien | 12 | 1 | 1 | .333 |
| Stephen Piscotty | 6 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Matt Chapman | 10 | 0 | 1 | .300 |
| Mark Canha | 6 | 1 | 1 | .167 |
| Khris Davis | 7 | 0 | 1 | .143 |
| Matt Olson | 9 | 1 | 1 | .111 |
| Robbie Grossman | 8 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| Chad Pinder | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Sean Murphy | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
No Laureano For A’s
Ramon Laureano received a six-game suspension on Tuesday for his role in Oakland’s bench-clearing brawl against the Astros on Sunday. Laureano was hit by a pitch for the third time in the AL West rivals’ three game series and, after an exchange with an Astros bench coach, charged toward the opposition’s dugout.
Laureano charges the Astros dugout and the brawl breaks out pic.twitter.com/CQ2K8kFnlb
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) August 9, 2020
How important is this loss for the A’s? Well, Laureano has slashed .263/.405/.491 this season, with 10 RBIs and a 158 OPS+ in 17 games. That’s good enough to get his name into the latest AL MVP odds.
He also happens to have a nice history with Griffin Canning, going 4-for-7 with two home runs and four RBIs against the Angels starter.
Angels Career Stats vs Bassitt
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Castro | 2 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
| David Fletcher | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Tommy La Stella | 5 | 1 | 3 | .400 |
| Albert Pujols | 4 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Anthony Rendon | 3 | 2 | 4 | .667 |
| Luis Rengifo | 5 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Max Stassi | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Mike Trout | 3 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Justin Upton | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Bassitt Has Got It
Chris Bassitt has been lights out for the Athletics this season, with a 1-0 record and 1.08 ERA in three starts.
That includes a scoreless, no-decision outing against the Angels in his 2020 debut. Bassitt allowed just five hits and a walk while striking out five in four innings.
Oakland has won six consecutive games started by Bassitt, as well as his past four road outings.
An interesting subplot is that Bassitt has not allowed a home run yet in 16 2/3 innings. And Oakland, in fact, is allowing a league-low 0.75 home runs per game. The Angels, meanwhile, are fifth in homers per game (1.61).
Chris Bassitt, Beautiful 70mph Curveball. 🌈 pic.twitter.com/IkkjielWFH
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 27, 2020
It’s a clash of styles that probably works in Bassitt’s favor, given how he has already displayed his stinginess on the mound against the Angels.
Griffin Canning, the Angels’ starter, is winless in three starts this year (0-2, 3.14 ERA). But he has posted some respectable outings and still owns a 134 ERA+.
This was quite the filthy pitch to cap off an impressive outing for Griffin Canning. pic.twitter.com/NYjjUHlSYZ
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) July 21, 2020
In four career starts against the Athletics, Canning is 1-2 with a 3.97 ERA. He doesn’t always go deep into games (completed fewer than five innings in three of his past five starts), but he typically gives his team a chance to win.
With that said, the A’s still have the edge. But runs will likely be at a premium.
Pick: Oakland Athletics (+101); Under 9 runs (-103)
Jordan Horrobin is a sports journalist whose MLB, NHL, NFL and NCAA work has appeared in outlets such as The Athletic, MLB.com, the Detroit Free Press and more. He is currently based in Toronto, also working as a contributor for Forbes.com and a freelance editor for Sportsnet.
