With three games in the MLB’s night slate, there are plenty of options for fans looking to catch some West Coast action. At 10:10 p.m. EST, the Athletics (54-69) host the Los Angeles Angels (59-62) for an AL West battle.
Here’s an Athletics vs. Angels prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday night.
Athletics vs. Angels prediction, preview
You might not guess it based on their overall record this season, but the Athletics are a sneaky-fun team at the moment. They’re above .500 since the All-Star Game at 13-12 and have put forth some impressive scoring efforts during that span.
Over this 25-game sample, the A’s boast an .805 OPS and .268 batting average, third and fourth-best of any MLB team. That hot streak at the plate along with their 39 homers, fourth-most in baseball, have propelled their offense to a top-seven scoring mark with 127 runs. The Athletics’ pitching staff may not boast much star power, but they also rank eighth with a 3.71 ERA and fourth with a 1.13 WHIP over the same sample.
The Angels are another feisty squad whose record undersells their ability at times. L.A. holds a 12-13 record since the ASG but enter this game coming off a sweep of the cross-town rival Dodgers in a very impressive series, so they can hang with good teams on occasion.
The Halos aren’t quite experiencing the same resurgence as their opponents, but they’re still putting forth some respectable efforts. L.A. ranks 14th in OPS at .733, helping counteract a .236 team average that falls 23rd. While they’re striking out a ton at the plate, the Angels actually do sit 12th in scoring with 117 runs and they’ve mashed 34 homers to help increase that tally. The pitchers have struggled though, falling 24th with a 4.60 ERA despite a respectable 1.31 WHIP.
Athletics vs. Angels pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists these teams pretty close in terms of odds with the Angels as slight -112 Moneyline favorites, while the Angels come in at -108. The run total sits at 10, one of the highest on this slate.
Jack Perkins (4.08 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 28 SO) starts for the Athletics against Angels lefty Yusei Kikuchi (3.37 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 146 SO).
The odds indicate a toss-up tonight, but I’d feel much more comfortable taking the Athletics in this one. While Kikuchi generally limits runs for the most part and isn’t prone to giving up the long ball, the A’s offense looks surprisingly solid as Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers and a handful of other contributors are firing on all cylinders at the moment. They’re putting forth more consistent efforts at the plate in recent weeks and should get the job done to open this series on Friday.
Best bet: Athletics ML (-108)
Click the odds on this bet to tail!
