Giants vs Athletics Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers (August 20)
By John Perrotto in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The San Francisco Giants are -125 road favorites over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night
- The Giants will pitch left-hander Alex Wood (10-3, 4.14) against rookie James Kaprelian (6-4, 3.33)
- Odds and analysis can be found below with a prediction
The latest edition of the Bay Bridge Series begins when the San Francisco Giants visit the Oakland Athletics at 9:40 p.m. ET Friday in the opener of a three-game set at RingCentral Coliseum.
The Giants (78-43), who have the best record in MLB, were off Thursday after having their three-game winning streak snapped Wednesday by losing to the New York Mets 6-2 at home in 10 innings. San Francisco had also won nine of its previous 10 games and is favored Friday.
The Athletics (69-53) snapped a four-game losing streak Thursday, with a 5-4 road victory over the Chicago White Sox to salvage the last game of a four-game series.
Giants vs Athletics Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants | -125 | -1.5 (+130) | Over 9 (-105) |
| Oakland Athletics | +105 | +1.5 (-150) | Under 9 (-115) |
Odds as of August 20th at DraftKings
The Athletics opened as -110 picks on the moneyline, but the Giants are now favored at -125. Hazy conditions are expected at game time with the temperature forecast for 65 degrees and wind from the west at 5 mph.
Probable Pitchers
The Giants will pitch left-hander Alex Wood (10-3, 4.14) against rookie James Kaprielian (6-4, 3.33).
Wood has gone 12 starts since his last loss June 1 and has a 5-0 record in that span, though his ERA is just 4.66. The Giants are 10-2 in those starts.
Wood vs Kaprelian
| 10-3 | Record | 6-4 |
| 4.14 | ERA | 3.33 |
| 4.04 | xERA | 3.95 |
| 1.21 | WHIP | 1.15 |
| 3.46 | SO/W | 2.86 |
In his last start Sunday against the Colorado Rockies in San Francisco, Wood yielded two runs in six innings to get the win. He gave up six hits with six strikeouts and one walk.
That marked Wood’s first quality start since July 7 and gave him eight for the season in 21 outings. The Giants have a 15-6 record when he starts. Wood is 3-1 with a 4.35 ERA in eight road starts and 6-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 14 starts at night.
Alex Wood has turned his slider into a bonafide money pitch pic.twitter.com/IRTtIjIZbJ
— Nick Pollack (@PitcherList) May 11, 2021
Wood’s career record against the Athletics is just 1-2 in four starts with a 5.66 ERA. His lone outing at the RingCentral Coliseum came in 2015 and he took the loss as Oakland scored three runs (two earned) off him in 5.2 innings.
Kaprielian is 1-0 with a 3.97 ERA in two starts since missing one turn because of a shoulder impingement and is 2-1 with a 4.39 ERA in his last start.
He had a no-decision Saturday against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, allowing three runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings with no walks or strikeouts.
Kaprielian has registered quality starts in seven of his 15 games and the Athletics are 9-6 when he takes the mound. He has been tough to beat at home with a 4-2 record and 1.42 ERA in six starts. At night, he is 2-2 with a 4.74 ERA in seven starts.
AL Rookies by bWAR
1. Randy Arozarena 2.9
2. Casey Mize 2.6
3. Adolis Garcia 2.6
4. Garrett Whitlock 2.2
5. Luis Garcia 2.0
6. Emmanuel Clase 1.9
7. Alex Manoah 1.9
8. James Kaprelian 1.5— Breathin' Orange Fire (@OrangeFire_) August 15, 2021
Kaprielian has pitched once against the Giants, facing them in relief last season and giving up one run in two innings.
Canha Has Knocks Off Wood
Athletics right fielder Mark Canha has hit Wood well in a limited sample size, going 3 for 5. On the other hand, no Giants batter has more than one plate appearance against Kaprelian.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Giants Batters | Batting Average vs Kaprelian |
|---|---|
| Brandon Belt | 1.000 |
| Brandon Crawford | .000 |
| Alex Dickerson | .000 |
| Wilmer Flores | .000 |
| Darin Ruf | .000 |
| Donovan Solano | .000 |
| Athletics Batters | Batting Average vs Wood |
| Mark Canha | .600 |
| Chad Pinder | .500 |
| Matt Olson | .333 |
| Josh Harrison | .273 |
| Matt Chapman | .250 |
| Starling Marte | .238 |
| Jed Lowrie | .200 |
| Elvis Andrus | .167 |
| Stephen Piscotty | .000 |
| Yan Gomes | .000 |
| Tony Kemp | .000 |
| Sean Murphy | .000 |
Center fielder Starling Marte has made a big impact on the Athletics since being acquired July 28 from the Miami Marlins in a trade. He is hitting .341 in 19 games with 12 runs scored, 13 stolen bases and eight multi-hit games.
Marte has played pretty good defense, too.
Oakland A’s legend Starling Marte. pic.twitter.com/GYM5pvPUGz
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) August 7, 2021
Oakland is expected to get utility player Chad Pinder back Friday. Out since July 8 with a right hamstring strain, Pinder is hitting .216 with three home runs in 46 games this season.
Giants vs Athletics Pick
The Giants won two of three games from the Athletics from June 25-27 at Oracle Park.
Right fielder Lamonte Wade Jr. went 2 for 6 with a home run for the Giants and catcher Curt Casali was 2 for 8 with a double and a homer. The Athletics’ Matt Chapman went 4 for 12 with a homer and five RBIs.
Wade has played pretty good defense, too, which has pleased Wood.
DON'T RUN ON LAMONTE pic.twitter.com/exkqoFTF7v
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 15, 2021
Wood has not pitched as well as his record indicates but the Giants keep finding ways to win when he takes the mound. Far be it for us to buck that trend.
The Pick: Giants -125
Sports Writer
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
