Oakland Athletics vs. San Francisco Giants Prediction 8-5-23 MLB Picks

The San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s meet in the opener of their two-game MLB interleague set from the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday. Who draws first blood in this west coast series? Let’s dive in and find out.

Giants Win Another Series

The San Francisco Giants haven’t been lighting scoreboards ablaze in recent weeks, but they’ve been able to get it done, winning 7 of their last 9 games with another series victory, taking 3 of 4 from the Diamondbacks with a 1-0 win in Thursday’s series finale. The win brought the Giants to 61-49 on the year, sitting at the top of the NL Wild Card mountain, three games to the good above the Reds who hold the last Wild Card spot in the National League. Wilmer Flores and J.D. Davis share San Fran’s team lead with 14 home runs while Thairo Estrada has a team-high 18 doubles and a .272 batting average. LaMonte Wade Jr. has a .268 batting average and Davis also has a team-high 88 hits and 54 RBIs so far this season. Ross Stripling is expected to start for the Giants and is 0-4 with a 5.52 ERA and 48 strikeouts this season.

San Francisco Giants Team Facts

• The Giants have won each of their last nine Saturday games against AL West opponents that held a losing record.
• The Giants have failed to cover the run line in each of their last seven day games against the Athletics following a home win.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Giants’ last three games as road favourites against American League opponents.
• The Giants have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last seven road games.
• The Giants have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last six road games.

San Francisco Giants Player Prop Facts

• Ross Stripling has recorded five or more strikeouts in three of his last four appearances against AL West opponents.

A’s Battle But Fall Short Again

The Oakland A’s have been playing out the string since April, but with the Kansas City Royals’ recent win streak, it’s looking more and more like the A’s are going to be designated as the worst team in baseball in 2023, with Thursday’s 8-2 loss to the Dodgers dropping the A’s to 30-80 on the year, holding the worst record in baseball by 5.5 games. Brent Rooker leads the A’s with 18 home runs and 48 RBIs this season, while Esteury Ruiz has 86 hits, a .257 batting average and a team-best 43 stolen bases but continues to miss time with a shoulder injury. Ryan Noda, Seth Brown and Shea Langeliers also have double-digit home runs for the A’s this season, while Ruiz also leads the A’s in doubles with 19. Paul Blackburn is expected to start for the A’s here and is 2-2 with a 4.83 ERA and 56 strikeouts this season.

Oakland Athletics Team Facts

• The Athletics have lost each of their last 19 day games following a loss.
• The Athletics have covered the run line in each of their last six day games against the Giants following a road loss.
• The Athletics have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last five home games against NL West opponents.
• The Athletics have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last six games against National League opponents that held a winning record.
• The Athletics have led after 3 innings in four of their last six games as home underdogs.

Oakland Athletics Player Prop Facts

• Tony Kemp has recorded at least one hit in nine of his last 10 appearances in day games against teams that held a winning record.
• Ramon Laureano has recorded two or more total bases in four of his last five home appearances against NL West opponents that held a winning record.
• Ramon Laureano has hit a home run in each of the Athletics’ last two home games against NL West opponents.
• Seth Brown has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last five Saturday appearances.
• Seth Brown has scored at least one run in each of his last six Saturday appearances.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Oakland Athletics ranks 30th in the league for hits this season (803).
• The Oakland Athletics ranks 30th in the league for RBI’s this season (378).
• The San Francisco Giants ranks 1st in the league for walks allowed this season (281).
• The San Francisco Giants ranks 29th in the league for steals this season (46).

Chris’ Pick

I’m not loving this game, but I’d lean towards the Giants if anything. I don’t expect much from Ross Stripling, who has stunk up the joint for much of the season, but I also don’t think that the A’s offensively are in a position to be able to make Stripling pay for any mistakes he makes on the bump. The Giants are just the better team playing better baseball and I think they do enough for the win here.