Angels vs. Athletics Prediction, Computer Picks, Odds & Pitching Matchup 8/4/2022

The Los Angeles Angels (44-60) are -121 favorites to take Game 3 of th series from the Oakland Athletics (40-66) Thursday at 4:07 PM ET. The teams enter the matchup with the series record tied, and the underdog Athletics are listed with +102 odds to win the rubber match and take the series victory. Janson Junk takes the mound for Los Angeles while Paul Blackburn is Oakland’s starter for the contest.

Angels vs. Athletics Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Angels vs. Athletics

We have the Athletics on the moneyline at +102 on the moneyline as our best bet in this contest after taking a look at all of the key stats and trends for this matchup. Our computer prediction sees the scoring going over the total of 8 runs.

Our computer pick: Oakland Athletics (+102) and Over (8)

Angels vs. Athletics Game Info

• Los Angeles Angels probable starting pitcher: Janson Junk
• Oakland Athletics probable starting pitcher: Paul Blackburn
• Game Day: Thursday, August 4, 2022
• Game Time: 4:07 PM ET
• Location: Anaheim, California
• Stadium: Angel Stadium

Los Angeles Angels vs Oakland Athletics Pitching Matchup

Angels Starter Janson Junk

• Junk (1-0) starts for the Angels, his second this season.
• In his most recent appearance on Wednesday, July 27, the righty threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Kansas City Royals while surrendering four hits.
• He has a .00 ERA and 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings while opponents are hitting .217 against him over his two games this season.
• He meets an Athletics offense that ranks 29th in the league with 359 runs while batting .215 as a squad. It has a collective .346 slugging percentage (29th in MLB action) and has hit a total of 91 home runs (25th in MLB).

Athletics Starter Paul Blackburn

• Blackburn (6-6) will take to the mound for the Athletics and make his 21st start of the season.
• The right-hander’s last start was on Saturday, when he tossed 5 2/3 innings without allowing a run on five hits in a matchup with the Chicago White Sox.
• The 28-year-old has an ERA of 4.15 and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings with an opponent batting average of .254 in 20 games this season.
• In 20 starts this season, he’s earned a quality start in four of them.
• Blackburn has 14 starts of five or more innings this season in 20 chances. He averages 5.1 innings per outing.
• The Angels rank 26th in MLB with 402 runs scored this season. They have a .229 batting average this campaign with 112 home runs (14th in the league).
• The Angels have gone 11-for-45 with four doubles and three RBI in 11 1/3 innings this season against the right-hander.
• The 28-year-old ranks 49th in ERA (4.15), 46th in WHIP (1.251), and 49th in K/9 (7.3) among qualified pitchers in the majors this year.

Angels Betting Picks & Insights

• The Angels have been favorites in 63 games this season and won 35 (55.6%) of those contests.
• Los Angeles is 30-26 this season when entering a game favored by -121 or more on the moneyline.
• The bookmakers’ moneyline implies a 54.8% chance of a victory for the Angels.
• Los Angeles’ games have gone over the total in 46 of their 104 chances.
• The Angels are 47-57-0 ATS in their 104 games with a spread this season.

Athletics Betting Picks & Insights

• The Athletics have been underdogs in 91 games this season and have come away with the win 34 times (37.4%) in those contests.
• Oakland has a win-loss record of 30-56 when favored by +102 or worse by bookmakers this year.
• The Athletics have an implied victory probability of 49.5% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
• Oakland and their opponents have hit the over in 43 of their 106 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
• In 106 games with a line this season, the Athletics have a mark of 53-53-0 against the spread.

Angels Leaders & Batting Stats

• The Angels RBI leader this season is Shohei Ohtani, who has knocked in 62 runs while hitting .253 with 22 home runs.
• Among all MLB hitters, Ohtani is 79th in batting average, 43rd in on-base percentage, and 23rd in slugging.
• Taylor Ward has a club-high .273 batting average.
• Ward ranks 69th in home runs in the majors, and 148th in RBI.
• Jared Walsh has 18 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs and 20 walks while batting .231.
• Luis Rengifo is batting .278 with 13 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 13 walks.
• Rengifo takes a six-game streak with at least one hit into this one. In his last 10 outings he is batting .375 with four doubles, a triple, three walks and eight RBI.

Athletics Leaders & Batting Stats

• Sean Murphy leads the Athletics with 45 runs batted in while racking up a team-high batting average of .245.
• Murphy is 69th in home runs and 78th in RBI among all hitters in MLB.
• Murphy has collected a hit in two straight games. In his last five games he is batting .263 with a double, two home runs, a walk and five RBI.
• Elvis Andrus has 23 doubles, seven home runs and 29 walks while batting .240.
• Andrus is 176th in homers and 195th in RBI among all batters in the majors.
• Seth Brown has 15 home runs, tops in the clubhouse.
• Ramon Laureano is batting .224 with 15 doubles, 11 home runs and 25 walks.