Athletics Angels Betting: Oakland And Los Angeles Tangle In Anaheim

The Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels are both trying to upend the defending American League West Division champions, the Texas Rangers. The A's and Halos meet on Monday.

MLB Betting Overview: Oakland Athletics @ Los Angeles Angels

Why Oakland Will Win

Gio Gonzalez, the starting pitcher for the A's in this game, has been very impressive in his first four outings of 2011, serving notice to online betting experts. The 25-year-old has pitched at least six innings in every start, with his worst performance being a six-inning, four-run effort on April 20 against Boston. If giving up four runs in six innings - almost a quality start - against a loaded Boston lineup is the worst showing in the month of April for Gonzalez, the A's are in very capable hands as they go to Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The thing to realize about April pitching is that it is notoriously unreliable and unpredictable. The fact that pitchers are still working themselves and their arms into the flow of the season creates inconsistency in April. The first month of the season, plus the variations in weather from one city to another, generate pronounced fluctuations in form and precision for most hurlers. Gonzalez has evidently been able to surmount these hurdles and contain opposing lineups with his given mix of pitches. Oakland has to like its chances with this particular starting pitcher.

Why Los Angeles Will Win

If Gio Gonzalez is having a good year, Jered Weaver - the Angels' starter in this game - is having an even better one. Jered is the younger brother of fellow pitcher Jeff Weaver, and right now, he's outdoing his older sibling, thereby reshaping the baseball betting calculus. Jered Weaver hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of his five starts, and he's conceded no more than three total runs in those same starts as well. Weaver is therefore a perfect 5 for 5 in terms of quality starts, a fact that sports betting gurus were not preparing to read about this early into the 2011 baseball season. He's given Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia a huge lift over the first three weeks of a 162-game marathon. What's also notable is that Weaver struck out 15 batters in a game played earlier this month. Jeff's little brother has a live arm and is finding a way to get hitters to swing and miss. The Angels have a pitcher who will take the hill with a mountain of confidence in this game. It should not come as a surprise that Weaver is the first five-game winner in the majors, at least when his body of work is considered. Weaver is pitching as well as anyone in the sport right now.

How The Game Will Play Out

It's always hard to predict one baseball game, but the sense here is that the volatility of the month of April for starting pitchers should catch up with Jered Weaver. Every pitcher encounters a difficult game at some point in a season. Even Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees had a bad outing a few days ago against the Toronto Blue Jays. The sense here is that Gio Gonzalez will steady the ship while the A's will scratch out a few runs against Jered Weaver. A 4-2 Oakland win sounds about right.

Oakland Los Angeles Betting Pick: Oakland