The MLB regular season wraps up today and neither the Los Angeles Angels nor the Oakland Athletics will be making the postseason but that isn’t stopping us from finding the best bets in a volatile market with nothing on the line.
It might be a case of too little too late, but the Halos have been their best at the dish of late and that could mean a quick outing for rookie Oakland starter Ken Waldichuk.
Find out where my best bet lies in my free MLB picks and predictions for Angels vs. A's.
Angels vs A's best odds
Angels vs A's picks and predictions
The Angels aren’t a cakewalk of an order right now and although the ballpark is an upgrade for Oakland starter Ken Waldichuk, this could be a tough outing as a +180 home dog. The Angels are a Top-10 offense over the last two weeks and are hitting .276 with a wRC+ of 112.
Waldichuk had 36 walks over 95 innings in the minors this season and has walked nine over 29+ innings for the A’s. He is a fastball/slider pitcher with hitters posting a .354 average off of his fastball that he throws 57% of the time. He should see over 90 pitches as the A’s have no issues pitching him deep at the end of the season.
THE BAT projects him for just under 15 outs but over two walks and 4.51 hits allowed. He could go five innings but there will be some damage done and I think his walk issues from the minor leagues will peak today vs. a decent LA lineup.
If you can swallow the -170 juice for the Over 1.5 earned runs, that’s the play with the highest probability of hitting but I’m also taking the Over 1.5 walks at -110 for a more reasonable price and a better than 50% projected probability.
For those without pitcher prop markets, the Angels' first five -0.5 run line is also in play at -135.
My best bet: Ken Waldichuk Over 1.5 walks (-110 at bet365)
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Angels vs A's moneyline analysis
Shohei Ohtani and the Angles come into the season finale as heavy -225 road favorites but have shortened up after opening at -245.
The A’s have taken the first two games of the series in which the Halos were -165 and -145 favorites. Ohtani is the reason this is priced where it is thanks to another dominating season as the right-hander will get some votes for AL Cy Young.
His 2.35 ERA is legit but over the last seven starts, the two-way star owns a 1.43 ERA. He went eight innings vs. the A’s in his last start and struck out 10 without allowing a run. This is a bad Oakland offense that used its entire bench yesterday. Ohtani also gets the park upgrade... clustering hits will be difficult for this weak Oakland order.
The Angels also got Anthony Rendon back in the lineup, but it looks like interim manager Phil Nevin plans to sit him today which isn’t an issue as he has just four at-bats since June 6. Over the last two weeks, this is an L.A. team that has a Top-8 offense and faces a rookie pitcher who has been getting hit hard with his primary offering.
With such a short moneyline and variance high with the last game of the year, I’m not suggesting bettors jump on the Halos. There are other markets we can pivot to and take advantage of the starting pitching matchup such as the F5 run line (-0.5) or F5 team total Over.
Angels vs A's Over/Under analysis
Totals are shrinking across the board as the season draws to an end and this afternoon’s matchup at the Coliseum is not different with a total of 6.5 that opened at 7. Both games in the series closed at 7 or higher.
The Coliseum is the No. 2-ranked pitcher-friendly park on the slate today and with both managers likely digging into the bench, this game could see each team’s weakest bats.
Ohtani faced Cole Irvin and Oakland in his last start with a closing total of 7.5, but the difference between Angel Stadium and the Coliseum is big. So is the potential for bench players getting a good run today, especially after two at-bats from the starters.
Ohtani is 8-19 O/U in his 27 starts this season while the rookie Ken Waldichuk is 6-1 to the Over in his first seven big league starts.
With all the variance of this game, I’m staying entirely off the total here but I do think it should close closer to 7 than 6.5.
Angels vs A's trend to know
The Under is 4-0-1 in Ohtani’s last five road starts vs. a team with a losing record. Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. A's
Angels vs A's game info
| Location: | RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland, CA |
| Date: | Wednesday, October 5, 2022 |
| First pitch: | 4:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | NBCS-California |
Starting pitchers
Shohei Ohtani (15-8, 2.35 ERA): Ohtani will make his last start of the season and looking at WAR, the right-hander had a better season on the mound in 2022 than his MVP season last year. He currently sits sixth in pitching WAR, has a 1.43 ERA over his last seven starts, and just went eight innings with two hits and 10 strikeouts in his last start which also came against Oakland.
Ken Waldichuk (1-2, 6.18 ERA): The rookie left-hander will be making his seventh start and should have a leash of about 90 pitches. It hasn’t been pretty for the 24-year-old pitcher who owns an ERA+ of 62 and an 0.867 OPS against. He hits the upper-90s with his fastball and struck out 137 batters over 95+ innings in the minors but also had some walk issues. He was the big piece in the Frankie Montas trade.
Angels vs A's latest injuries
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Angels vs A's weather
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