The Bay Bridge Series used to mean something. Giants and Athletics’ fans loved to cross the bridge or hop on BART to visit each other’s stadiums, take in the cool Bay air, and sit down for a friendly rivalry. Now, for the first time, the San Francisco Giants and the Athletics will play one another outside of the Bay Area.
Suffering for Athletics’ fans is here to stay. Now relocated to Sacramento, they’re resigned to another season that could result in 100+ losses. The Giants are faring much better, making high-level acquisitions and finding themselves squarely in the mix for the National League wild card race. It only further divides the haves from the have-nots.
The Athletics are favorites -112, with the over/under set at 10 runs. Let’s go ahead and break down which side has the edge on DraftKings Sportsbook entering tonight’s matchup.
Giants vs. Athletics prediction, preview
These teams are not playing good baseball at the moment. For the Athletics, that’s the nature of their roster. The pitching has been ugly for the most part, and nobody except Brent Rooker and rookie Jacob Wilson can hit. There is some exciting young talent on the roster, but they remain years away from building something sustainable. If that’s even possible, given that John Fisher owns the team.
The Giants have done serious work to make this team contend again. In the last two years, they’ve spent big money on Jung Hoo Lee, Willy Adames, and Matt Chapman. New front office leader Buster Posey took a big swing (pun intended) by acquiring Rafael Devers. They’ve added other players around the fringes to bolster depth, including Justin Verlander.
But the 42-year-old, who starts tonight hasn’t been all they expected. A wily veteran who has remained great well into his later years, Justin Verlander has been spectacularly average this season. The Giants are searching for consistency in the rotation behind their ace pairing of Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. Tonight could be a step towards consistency for the three-time Cy Young Award winner.
Giants vs. Athletics pick, best bet
San Francisco Giants Moneyline (-109)
Yes, they are the road team. Yes, Verlander has been struggling, as are the Giants. But they remain the superior team, despite resting a couple of players tonight and missing a couple more due to injury.
They picked themselves up to split a series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road. Robbie Ray crucially picked up the bullpen with a complete game on Thursday, leaving them fresh for this series in Sacramento. San Francisco is put together enough to dispatch with an Athletics team that is 14-33 over their last 47 games.
