Athletics-Brewers prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

The Oakland Athletics (14-50) visit the Milwaukee Brewers (34-29) for the first of a three-game series. First pitch commences Friday at 8:10 p.m. ET. Below we continue our MLB odds series with an Athletics-Brewers prediction, pick, and how to watch.

Here are the Athletics-Brewers MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Athletics-Brewers Odds

Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (+105)

Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (-126)

Over: 9.5 (-105)

Under: 9.5 (-115)

How To Watch Athletics vs. Brewers

TV: NBCS-California, Bally Sports

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 8:10 p.m. ET/ 5:10 p.m. PT

*See how to watch Athletics-Brewers LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread

Last 10: 4-6 (Fifth in the AL West)

Run Line Record: 25-39 (39%)

Over Record: 34-26-4 (57%)

Despite their inevitable spot in last place looming, Oakland has played good baseball of late. They stole two of three from the first-place Braves before taking two of three in a road series against the Pirates. The A's offense really showed signs of life in their most recent series as they amassed 24 runs across three games in Pittsburgh. While it's still a stretch for them to cover given their abysmal trends, Oakland at least makes for an interesting flyer tonight given their recent stretch.

Righty Luis Medina (0-5) makes his sixth start of the season for the Athletics tonight. The 24-year-old rookie was a top prospect coming into the season. He features a blistering fastball that ranks in the 84th percentile in velocity and a strong slider that generates whiffs nearly 50% of the time. Those pitches haven't translated into strikeouts, however, with Medina compiling a measly 7.9 K/9 thus far. He struggles to command his pitches, however, with multiple walks in all but one of his starts. While the Brewers don't boast an especially scary lineup, they've notably performed better against righties. Medina hasn't shown much and is coming off his worst start of the year – allowing six runs and four walks in just 2.0 innings against the Marlins.

Oakland certainly hasn't been upsetting teams because of their pitching – rather, their offense has proven frisky. After a hot start, outfielder Brent Rooker went through a rough cold spell but looks to be turning things around again. Over his last five games, Rooker owns a strong .286 average and has collected 10 bases. Their hottest bat of late belongs to Jace Peterson who owns a .500 average and 16 total bases over his last five games.

Why The Brewers Could Cover The Spread

Last 10: 6-4 (First in the NL Central)

Run Line Record: 29-34 (46%)

Over Record: 26-34-3 (43%)

Milwaukee took a huge step back in May after going 18-9 over the first month of the season. The Brewers have gotten back on track this month with wins in five of their last eight games. That includes consecutive series wins in Cincinnati and at home against the Orioles. While the Athletics look like an easy sweep on paper, Oakland just took two of three against Milwaukee's division rival Pittsburgh. Consequently, the Brewers will need a strong start from Adrian Houser coupled with a continued offensive effort from their lineup if they want to cover tonight.

Righty Adrian Houser (2-1) makes his seventh start of the season for the Brewers tonight. Houser has flashed his rotation-caliber talent in the past few years – notably starting at least 20 games in three of his last four seasons. He's off to a strong start in 2023 with a 3.45 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. He doesn't generate many strikeouts (5.5 K/9) but excels at limiting walks (88th percentile) and barrels (85th percentile). His counting stats would be even better if he didn't have a blow-up against the Blue Jays to close out May. Other than that start, Houser hasn't allowed more than three runs. That includes his most recent outing – a 7.0-inning gem against the Reds in which he allowed just one run and no walks. The A's struggle mightily against righties – setting Houser up for another strong night.

Milwaukee ranks just 25th in runs this season but they've started to heat up in recent games. That starts with their outfield as both Christian Yelich and Joey Wiemer are tearing the cover off the ball this week. Over their last seven games, Wiemer leads the team with 11 hits and 23 total bases. He's knocked out a trio of doubles and home runs over that span – boosting hist OPS to an eye-popping 1.437. Yelich is right behind him – collecting 11 total bases while swiping four bags as well.

Final Athletics-Brewers Prediction & Pick

While the A's proved frisky over the last two weeks, they're still the A's. Nothing their pitching staff has done thus far gives me any confidence in them and Houser has been just strong enough to make this an easy Brewers pick.

Final Athletics-Brewers Prediction & Pick: Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 (-126)