Baltimore Orioles vs Oakland Athletics Betting Analysis & Prediction

Friday features a battle of the best versus worst record in the American League as the Baltimore Orioles (74-47) take on the Oakland Athletics (34-87).

Before you consider making your MLB picks, make sure to read ahead for an analysis of this game and an Orioles vs Athletics prediction.

Baltimore Orioles vs Oakland Athletics

Location of the game: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA.

Date & Time: Friday, August 18., 9:40 pm ET.

How to watch: MLB.TV

Before we make our Orioles vs Athletics prediction, let’s take a look at how these two teams have been doing recently. 

Baltimore comes into this one having gone 5-5 in their last ten contests. On the road this year, they are a solid 38-24.

At just 34-87, the Oakland Athletics record is the worst in all of baseball. They are just 3-7 in their last ten games, and they are 18-41 when playing at home this year.

Oakland did snap a five-game losing streak in their last outing. On Wednesday, they beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-0. Despite the win, they still lost two of three in the series.

The Baltimore Orioles have had a phenomenal season thus far. At 74-47, they have the best record in the American League and currently hold a two-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

Oakland, on the other hand, has been in baseball’s cellar most of the season. They have the worst record in all of baseball, and they sit 38 games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West.

Trying to fight off the Tampa Bay Rays in the division, the Orioles will look to take advantage of a struggling Athletics team to try to add to their win column. To do so, Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde will turn to 35-year-old righty Kyle Gibson in Friday’s contest.

In 25 games, his MLB player stats show that he is 11-7 with a 4.89 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and he has 121 strikeouts in 145.1 innings. Gibson is trying to bounce back from a rough start in his last outing, where he gave up nine earned runs to the Mariners in just 5.1 innings.

Out of all MLB teams, the Orioles rank seventh in scoring this season. They are averaging 4.83 runs per game (5.11 on the road). Catcher Adley Rutschman has been one of their best performers, hitting .267/.362/.425 with 16 home runs, 58 runs batted in, and 60 runs scored.

With virtually no shot at the playoffs, the Oakland Athletics have nothing to lose at this point. With that mentality, they will look to play spoiler as the season winds down.

As of Thursday night, the Athletics have not officially announced their starter, but it is believed to be Luis Medina. In 17 games (13 starts), he is 3-8 with a 5.31 ERA.

Analyzing their MLB team stats, the Oakland Athletics have the worst offense in all of baseball. To date, they are averaging just 3.60 runs per game (3.29 at home).

Brent Rooker leads the team in home runs (19) and runs batted in (49).

The MLB injury report shows that the Orioles will be without pitchers John Means (elbow), Dillon Tate (elbow), and Keegan Akin (back).

As for other Baltimore Orioles players, outfielder Aaron Hicks is questionable for this one, as he left Wednesday’s game with a back injury.

For the Athletics, they are without pitcher James Kaprielian (shoulder) and first baseman Ryan Noda (jaw).

Before making our Orioles vs Athletics prediction, it is important to analyze the MLB odds.

Moneyline: The Orioles are heavy favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -171 to win, while the Athletics’ moneyline sits at +151.

Spread: The spread sees Oakland at +1.5, with odds of -115. The Orioles have a spread of -1.5, with odds of -105.

Over/Under: The over/under for total runs is set at 8.5. The over on runs has odds of -115. The under 8.5 runs have odds of -105.

• Our Orioles vs Athletics prediction is taking the Orioles to win and to cover the -1.5 spread (-105).

Baltimore is 5-2 in their last seven games against Oakland, and they are 13-7 in their last 20 road games.

If that wasn’t enough, the Athletics are 1-5 in their last six games and 2-6 in their last eight versus AL East teams.

• In terms of the total, take the under 8.5 runs (-105).

In four of their last six road games on Fridays, the under has hit for the Orioles. The under has also hit in six of Oakland’s last seven home games.

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