Whether it’s a full game, a first-five-innings wager or a NRFI, one team in Major League Baseball is the worst of bad bets: the Oakland Athletics.
The A’s, who could be the Las Vegas A’s as soon as next season, are 5-20 while sporting the lowest payroll in baseball.
As of Monday, if someone bet $100 against the A’s every game this season, they would be up $1,072, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Wait, there’s more! The A’s have yet to win two straight games and they have been the underdog in every game.
“The A’s, unfortunately, are a bet-against team pretty much on a nightly basis,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito told the Las Vegas Review Journal. “The public is definitely betting against the A’s right now. They’re included in almost every parlay and a number of straight bets.”
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Oakland A’s at Los Angeles Angels odds
Spread: A’s +2.5 (-140) vs. Angels -2.5 (+115)
Moneyline: A’s (+240) vs. Angels (-300)
Total: Over 8 (-110) | Under 8 (-110)
Athletics vs. Angels prediction
(4:07 p.m. ET)
It doesn’t appear to be getting any better for Oakland if Wednesday’s 11-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels was any indication. The A’s were a +245 at Caesars Sportsbook to the -278 Angels.
Last week the Action Network noted a trend that showed the A’s were winless as a underdog at +245 or more. This came to light the same day the team announced it had bought a plot of land to build a stadium in Las Vegas.
If you’re just looking to take advantage of their bad pitching staff, the A’s are 17-8 to beat the over/under, second best in baseball. On Wednesday, they passed the total (9) in the fifth inning by allowing five runs to the Angels.
How does all this relate to Thursday’s matinee against the Angels? Let us count the ways.
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– The Angels have a 4-2 record against the A’s less than a month into the season.
– LA throws an ace known as Shohei Ohtani to the mound Thursday. He has a 4-4 record in 11 starts against the A’s but that includes a 2.26 ERA and 79 strikeouts — or 11.17 strikeouts per nine innings.
– He has allowed two earned runs in five starts this season.
– The A’s have 34 hits and 22 walks in 63⅔ innings in six seasons against Ohtani. That’s an impressive 0.88 WHiP for the seamheads.
– Ohtani already pitched a six-inning outing against the A’s on opening day when he allowed two hits and struck out 10.
– The Angels offense is hitting .286 in its last three games, third best in the majors. In that same span, they have a .543 slugging percentage, also third best in the bigs.
The verdict: Bet the Angels (-300) to win the first five innings and put your trust in Ohtani, but not his bullpen. Heck, bet the full game on the Angels (-300) if you’re so inclined or take a same-game parlay with Ohtani strikeouts.
Either way, Thursday is not the time to stop fading the A’s.
Athletics vs. Angels pick
First 5 innings Angels moneyline (-300, BetMGM)