The Oakland Athletics have been respectable of late, but the fact of the matter is that a 43-52 record with 17.85 units of losses on the season is why they’re going to be sellers over the course of the next few days leading into the non-waiver trading deadline.
The San Francisco Giants might have been on the verge of buying or selling, but recent good form should keep this team in the buying department headed into Saturday's Bay Area bout.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The G-Men have taken eight of their last nine games, and have really taken a big leap in the right direction because of it. Bettors are up 6.89 units since July 10 by betting on San Francisco, improving the team to 51-44 and +2.34 units on the campaign.
PITCHING MATCHUP
This is a mismatch if we ever saw one.
Chris Bassitt has thrown a grand total of 57.1 innings in his big league career, and though he has been respectable, he isn't anywhere near as good as the man he is going up against, Madison Bumgarner.
Bassitt has pitched some in relief and some in the minors this year, but when in the bigs, he’s demonstrated little control with just 17 strikeouts against 11 walks in 27.2 innings of work.
Bumgarner meanwhile, is the real deal. He's 10-5 with a 3.27 ERA, and gets the benefit of going against a lineup which has brutally struggled against left-handed pitching this season.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"When you get one of your core players back, it helps your offense. You're going to put guys where you want in the order. We're a different club with Hunter in there. He's one of the better hitters in baseball. There's no question he makes a difference." – Giants manager Bruce Bochy on the impact of Hunter Pence, who returned to the lineup just before the All-Star break from a wrist injury
SITUATIONAL BETTING
It's tough to throw the baby out with the bathwater in regards to Tyler Clippard. Sure, he’s only 17-of-20 this year in save situations, and yes, he blew a save against Minnesota in his first outing back from the All-Star break, but he also hadn’t allowed a hit or a run in 6.2 innings in a row prior to that.
Give Clippard and this Oakland bullpen a bit of a break.
PROP TALK
Bochy might be thrilled getting Pence back, but he should be happy with getting Nori Aoki back as early as this game as well. The outfielder was hitting .317 with a .383 OBP before he got hurt 70 games into the season. When he gets back out there, we suspect that he is going to be hitting the ball well, if for no other reason, the fact that he’s done it throughout his entire career.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The A's have little chance in this one unless all of a sudden, they can find some offensive production against a left-handed pitcher.
Bumgarner has really only had one start that wasn't excellent since the middle of June, and if he keeps that up on Saturday, he should claim his eleventh win of the season.
San Francisco 6, Oakland 3
The baseball betting odds for this Saturday game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants will start at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 25, 2015 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA. You can watch the contest live on FOX Sports 1.
