San Francisco Giants vs Oakland A’s Preview (August 20): Kaprielian’s Home Success Should Drive A’s Over Giants in Bay Area Battle

The benefit of interleague play taking place throughout the MLB season is that we can be treated to meaningful interleague series at the business end of the season. It’s not the home stretch quite yet, but this weekend’s series between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s is a huge one for both teams. It pits two top pennant contenders, as the latest MLB betting odds have the Giants fourth in line (+850) and the A’s ninth (+2400).

The Giants continue to defy the odds and keep the hard-charging Los Angeles Dodgers at bay in the NL West. The Dodgers have won seven in a row and 11 of 12, but the Giants have remained hot themselves. They have won nine of their last 11 games, and their series win over the fading New York Mets was their seventh straight series win.

The A’s, meanwhile, are coming off of a rough end to a 10-game road trip. They lost two of three to the Texas Rangers and three of four to the Chicago White Sox. But they are still within 2.5 games of the Houston Astros in the NL West and occupy one of the AL’s two wild-card spots, a half-game ahead of the Boston Red Sox.

For both teams, getting off to a winning start in this series is vital. A win for the Giants sets them up well for the series win with Kevin Gausman and Logan Webb on the hill tomorrow and Sunday. The A’s need to follow up yesterday’s win in Chicago and ease the pressure on Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas.

San Francisco Giants (78-43) vs Oakland A’s (69-53), NBC Sports California, 9:40 p.m. ET

Probable Pitchers

• San Francisco Giants: Alex Wood (10-3, 4.14 ERA)
• Oakland A’s: James Kaprielian (6-4, 3.33 ERA)

San Francisco Giants vs Oakland A’s MLB Betting Odds

• Moneyline: San Francisco Giants -120, Oakland A’s +102
• Total: OVER 9 (-114), UNDER 9 (-106)
• Run Line: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+128), Oakland A’s +1.5 (-154)

San Francisco Giants vs Oakland A’s MLB Betting Consensus

• Moneyline: 75% Giants, 25% A’s
• Total: 0% OVER, 100% UNDER (at O/U 9)
• Run Line: 0% Giants, 100% A’s (at -/+1.5)

San Francisco Giants vs Oakland A’s Matchup: Betting Picks, Odds, Stats and More

San Francisco Giants vs Oakland A’s MLB Betting Outlook

Consistency is Key for Wood

When the other four starters all have ERAs under 4.00, being the guy that doesn’t can make you stick out. But while Wood does have the highest ERA among the Giants’ starters, he also has the best winning percentage.

That said, when postseason time comes, the rotation gets trimmed to three or four, depending on the series and situation. Wood and Johnny Cueto have the most postseason experience among San Francisco’s starters, but one or both may be unlucky.

For Wood to have the edge, he must be consistent down the stretch. He pitched well last time out, allowing two runs and six hits and striking out six in 6.2 innings in a win over the Colorado Rockies last Sunday. But in his three previous starts, he had allowed 13 earned runs and 19 hits in 15 innings. However, it must be noted that the Giants won all three games.

Wood’s numbers on the road are all inferior to his numbers at home. But the Giants are 15-6 in his starts, including 5-3 in road starts and 10-2 in his last 12 starts. Adequate run support helps. In Wood’s last 12 starts, the Giants have scored 80 runs, an average of 6.7 runs per game. That kind of production will lead to wins more often than not.

Wood started against the A’s on June 26, allowing two runs (one earned) and four hits in 5.2 innings. He was in line for the win, but he received a no-decision in a 10-inning win for the Giants.

Kaprielian’s Home Dominance Makes A’s Strong Home Dog

It is unsurprising to see the Giants favored tonight, though they will likely be bigger favorites tomorrow and Sunday.

But the A’s are good value for the win tonight as they open a vital nine-game homestand. They should be pretty happy to be at home, as it is a pretty unfamiliar place at the moment. Only 10 of their 30 second-half games have been at home, and only 16 of their last 52 games dating back to mid-June have been at home. On the positive side, while they haven’t been at home much recently, they are 7-3 when they have been there.

Kaprielian might be one of the happiest of the bunch, given how well the rookie has pitched at home. In six home starts, he is 4-2 with a 1.42 ERA and has allowed only six runs (all earned) in 38 innings. On the road, he is 2-2 with a 4.93 ERA in nine starts.

He might also be glad to be facing someone other than the Texas Rangers, who he has faced five times in his last eight starts. For what it’s worth, Kaprielian has a better ERA against teams that are not the Rangers (3.10) than he does against the Rangers (3.81). It’s pretty useless information as it pertains to the Giants and tonight’s matchup, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Just as the Giants have been productive offensively in Wood’s starts, the A’s have been pretty productive in Kaprielian’s starts. In the 15 games he has started, the A’s have averaged 5.3 runs per game, scoring 79 runs in 15 games. Is the over worth a little sprinkle as well?

San Francisco Giants vs Oakland A’s Best Bets

Oakland A’s ML and OVER 9

It isn’t often that we will highlight a double dip as a best bet, but it is the right move in this matchup. The Giants are hot and are worthy MLB betting favorites, and they will be favored in the next two games as well. But this is the one matchup that arguably favors the A’s with how well Kaprielian has pitched at home, and they are good value to make the most of it.