MLB Odds: Angels vs. Athletics prediction, pick, how to watch

The Los Angeles Angels take on the Oakland Athletics. Our MLB odds series has our Angels-Athletics prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Angels-Athletics.

The Los Angeles Angels are already in trouble. It’s true that 99.9 percent of the time, a loss in the first game of the season is not due cause to panic or worry about the future, but for the Angels, this 2023 season opener might be the exception which proves the rule. After just one game, everyone in the Angel dugout was reminded why Shohei Ohtani is almost certain to leave the team after the 2023 season. Ohtani knows how good he is. Everyone knows how good he is. Ohtani doesn’t want his MLB career to waste away on a team he knows will not give him a good chance of winning a championship. We saw the Angels waste another dominant Ohtani pitching performance in a 2-1 loss to the lowly A’s. The Angels have had a bad bullpen for the past several seasons, and the chickens once again came home to roost on Thursday, when the A’s plated two runs in the bottom of the eighth to wipe out a 1-0 deficit. The Angels badly need to bounce back in this Saturday game and win this weekend series in Oakland. Otherwise, it will be yet another sign to Ohtani that he needs to find a new workplace in 2024.

Here are the Angels-Athletics MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Angels-Athletics Odds

Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (+105)

Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-126)

Over: 7.5 (-120)

Under: 7.5 (-102)

How To Watch Angels vs. Athletics

TV: Bally Sports (Angels) / NBC Sports California (A’s) / MLB Extra Innings

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 4:05 p.m. ET/1:05 p.m. PT

*Watch Angels-Athletics LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread

The Angels are already in a must-win situation, or something close to that. You know that everyone in that clubhouse is acutely aware of the stakes attached to this season. The Angels need to win an American League wild card berth and give Ohtani valid reason to stay in Anaheim. At the very least, the Halos need to be playing meaningful games in September. Anything less, and Shohei will leave for another team with better playoff and championship odds. Winning this series in Oakland is a necessity, and that should fuel a very focused and attentive performance from the Angels in this game. Patrick Sandoval is their starter. He was very solid in 2022 and should be able to contain a very weak and light-hitting Oakland lineup.

Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread

The A’s have Shintaro Fujinami on the mound. He won’t face Ohtani in a duel of pitchers, but he will face Ohtani when the superstar digs into the batter’s box. Fujinami has spent the past decade in Japan’s professional baseball league. He has plenty of upside. Crucially, the Angels have not seen him very much, so the scouting report on him is not extra developed. This can be the very thing which enables the A’s to once again handcuff the Halos’ bats and grab yet another win in this series.

Final Angels-Athletics Prediction & Pick

The Angels aren’t easy to trust as a team, especially after seeing them flounder at the plate and lose a late lead on Thursday. The Halos are a poorly-run organization, and they are heading nowhere quickly. Yet, as mediocre as the Angels are, the A’s are worse, and the Angels are going to be really ticked off after their Thursday stumble. Take the Angels.

Final Angels-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Angels: -1.5