Opening day is here for the Oakland Athletics and Philadelphia Phillies, as both teams begin their season in an interleague game featuring two teams who missed out on the postseason last year.
The Phillies revamped their roster in the offseason while the Athletics let go of some big names. Which team will begin their 2022 campaign on the right foot?
Find out more in our free MLB picks and predictions for Athletics vs. Phillies on Friday, April 8.
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Athletics vs Phillies odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The line opened with the Phillies as -170 favorites on the moneyline and has since moved up to -175, with the total set at 8.5. Some books have the Phillies as high as -200.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Athletics vs Phillies predictions
- Prediction: Phillies ML (-175)
- Prediction: Over 8.5 (+100)
- Best bet: Castellanos Over 1.5 Total Bases (+130)
Picks made on 4/07/2022 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Athletics vs Phillies game info
• Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
• Date: Friday, April 8, 2022
• First pitch: 3:05 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCS-CA
Athletics vs Phillies betting preview
Starting pitchers
Frankie Montas (2021: 13-9, 3.37 ERA): Montas had one of the most underrated seasons as a pitcher last year, finishing 6th in AL Cy Young voting, with 32 starts and a WHIP of 1.18. Montas uses his sinker the most, but his splitter accrued his best Whiff% in 2021 at 51.4%.
Aaron Nola (2021: 9-9, 4.63 ERA): Once heralded as one of the top young pitchers in baseball, Nola fell off a cliff last season, performing well below everyone's standards. The 28-year-old had the worst left-on-based percentage in the MLB in 2021 and was far from the ace that Philadelphia expected him to be. His ERA+ for the season was 90, ten points below the league average.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Athletics: Elvis Andrus SS (Questionable).
Phillies: Odubel Herrera CF (Out), Mickey Moniak CF (Questionable).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Phillies are 5-1 in their last 6 home games vs. a right-handed starter. Find more MLB betting trends for Athletics vs. Phillies.
Athletics vs Phillies picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
With Oakland and Philadelphia putting out a pretty even pitching match on Friday, the best way to handicap this game is by looking at each batting order.
The Athletics' main offense from 2021 is basically gone, with Starling Marte and Mark Canha now in New York, and Matt Olson and Matt Chapman traded elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the Phillies have bolstered their offense, adding sluggers Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber to a lineup that already featured Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, and J.T. Realmuto.
There's really no weak spot for Montas to work on Friday, with Didi Gregorius and Jean Segura projected to bat in the six and seven spot. Joe Girardi's squad has really underwhelmed in previous seasons, and the Athletics' lineup currently looks like a Triple-A team. Philly has to start the season out with a win or the boo birds could come early.
I'm hesitant to pick the Phillies on the run line simply because of their less than desirable bullpen, so take the safer play instead.
Prediction: Phillies ML (-175 at Bet 365)
Over/Under analysis
I expect this game to be fairly low-scoring through the first five innings but for the floodgates to open afterward. Both teams possess a lack of bullpen depth, and it's only a matter of time before Harper and that potent Phillies lineup put runs on the board.
The Phillies hit just .240 as a team in 2021, carried mostly by eventual NL MVP winner Bryce Harper. This time around, Harper won't have to carry the brunt of the lineup with the additions of Castellanos and Schwarber.
I'm also not ready to back Aaron Nola quite yet. While the right-hander should be able to rack up his fair share of strikeouts on Friday, it wouldn't surprise me to see him get into some sort of pickle where even the weak Athletics lineup could get a couple of runners home.
Prediction: Over 8.5 (+100 at Bet365)
Best bet
For a game like this, our best play is diving into the player prop market and trying to isolate a batter with a matchup against Montas.
Incomes Nick Castellanos, who's faced Montas nine times in his career and has three hits against him, including two doubles. I love Castellanos becoming a fan favorite with the Philly faithful and I believe that starts in their home opener as he shines in his debut with his new team.
Castellanos should go over 1.5 bases, especially in the hitter-friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park.
Prediction: Castellanos Over 1.5 Total Bases (+130 at Bet365)
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