Athletics vs. Giants MLB Best Bets for Tuesday (Archive)
A funny thing happened on the way to the Oakland Athletics symbolizing everything wrong with MLB. Dealing with stadium issues and facing an uncertain future in Oakland, the A’s held a fire sale, dealing away Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt and Sean Manaea, with more trades likely to come.
It seemed to be a recipe for tanking, with Oakland destined to bottom out like the Orioles and Diamondbacks have done in recent years and the Cincinnati Reds appear to be headed for in 2022. Except the Athletics are currently one game over .500 and a half-game out of a Wild Card spot if the season ended today.
The A’s will try to keep the fast start going as they travel across the Bay to San Francisco to meet the team with the second-best record in baseball. Let’s get into the MLB odds for the first game of this series
Oakland Athletics vs. San Francisco Giants
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 – 09:45 PM EDT at Oracle Park
Bats Cooling
Oakland shut out the Rangers at home on Sunday to salvage the final game of a three-game series loss to Texas. The A’s managed just three total runs in the series and have scored two or fewer five times in the last six games. “This weekend was kind of tough offensively," manager Mark Kotsay said.
The little offense Oakland got was sparked by Stephen Piscotty, who returned from the COVID list over the weekend and hit a two-run homer for all of Oakland’s runs in the last two games against Texas.
Play Now: $1,000 BMR 12-Week All Sports Challenge
The A’s also got back reliever Kirby Snead from the COVID list. He’s part of a young, inexperienced bullpen that has helped carry the team through this offensive cooldown.
After opening the season with 17 straight games, Oakland got its first off day of the season on Monday, and it came between the series’ at home and in San Francisco. So the A’s players didn’t even have to worry about travel plans disrupting the day away from the ballpark.
Oakland will open the Giants series with Daulton Jefferies on the mound. The righthander is a former first-round draft pick who is finally healthy. He’s allowed two runs or fewer in all three starts this season and is 1-2 with a 1.17 ERA.
So This Is Home
The Giants may need some help remembering where the home dugout is when they return to Oracle Park for the first time since April 13. Since then, San Francisco has gone on a four-city, 11-game road trip.
Things couldn’t have gone much better as the Giants swept the Indians and Nationals and returned home with an 8-3 record on the trip. San Francisco is currently riding a four-game winning streak.
Visit Our: MLB Betting Forum
The Giants returned home without one key contributor. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski tested positive for COVID and went to the injured list. He also faces the possibility of quarantine in Washington, D.C., where the positive test was registered. Luke Williams was called up to replace him on the roster.
More Picks: Check Out Our MLB Pick of the Day Video Section
The Giants have gotten a boost from two newcomers. Joc Pederson leads the team with six home runs after winning back-to-back World Series with the Dodgers and Braves.
Lefthanded starter Carlos Rodon, who starts on Tuesday, has also looked like a new man after arriving following several injury-marred years with the White Sox. He is 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA this year. The Giants went with a bullpen game on Monday to give him an extra day of rest for Tuesday’s start.
The Picks
The A’s have seemingly been doing it with mirrors, but Oakland’s hitting struggles will be made even worse with Rodon on the mound, followed by San Francisco’s shut-down bullpen.
Look for the Giants to win a pitchers’ duel for our MLB picks and to kickstart the Bay Area series.
MLB Pick: Giants ML (-255) at BetOnline
MLB Pick: Under 6.5 Runs (-115) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.