San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland Athletics: Preview, Prediction & Odds - Aug. 21, 2021

by Chuck Sommers

Friday, Aug 20, 2021
Game time: 4:07 p.m. ET
Venue: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA
Where to watch: NBCS BA, NBCSCA

Season-to-date (entering Friday)
Giants: 78-43 (1st place, NL West)
Athletics: 69-53 (2nd place, AL West)

Recent form
Giants: 8-2 in last 10
Athletics: 5-5 in last 10

Projected lineup


Giants:
LaMonte Wade Jr (L) RF
Tommy La Stella (L) 2B
Kris Bryant (R) 3B
Brandon Belt (L) 1B
Brandon Crawford (L) SS
Mike Yastrzemski (L) CF
Wilmer Flores (R) DH
Curt Casali (R) C
Alex Dickerson (L) LF

Athletics:
Mark Canha (R) LF
Starling Marte (R) CF
Matt Olson (L) 1B
Mitch Moreland (L) DH
Matt Chapman (R) 3B
Seth Brown (L) RF
Sean Murphy (R) C
Tony Kemp (L) 2B
Elvis Andrus (R) SS

Probable starting pitchers: Kevin Gausman (SF) vs. Sean Manaea (OAK) 

Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Giants -125, Athletics +105
BetMGM: Giants -120, Athletics +100
FanDuel: Giants -124, Athletics +106

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Giants - Athletics preview


Kevin Gausman will take the mound for the San Francisco Giants on Saturday when the Oakland Athletics welcome them for the second of their three-game series in the Oakland Coliseum.

The series opener between the clubs won on Friday night.

The San Francisco ace will look to continue his Cy Young-caliber season in what will be his 25th start. The 30-year-old right-handed starter has already set a new career-high in wins (12), ERA (2.40) and strikeouts (169) in his second season with the Giants.

There have been plenty of reasons why the Giants find themselves with the best record in baseball, and Gausman has been one of, if not the most important. San Francisco is always going to contend, so long as the pitching staff stays stellar heading into August and beyond. They’ve gotten three good arms this late with Anthony DeSclafini and Logan Webb. 

The Giants lead the red-hot Los Angeles Dodgers by 2.5 games in the NL West. While the Giants are playing their interleague games, the Dodgers are playing the New York Mets at home and continue to build their lead in the wild card race.

Gausman has won all three starts in August, rebounding after losing his previous two.

Opposite Gausman will be Sean Manaea for the Athletics, who trail the Houston Astros by 2.5 games for first place in the American League West. It’s also an important series for Oakland to maintain a grip on the second AL Wild Card position over the Boston Red Sox.

Manaea’s WHIP of 1.23 is his highest since 2017.

No bat may be hotter right now than A’s third baseman Matt Chapman, who hit his fifth home run in six games Thursday. First baseman Matt Olson hit his 31st home run of the year in the win, as well. Olson is putting together an under-the-radar MVP campaign, nearing 100 RBI and a .279 batting average.

Chapman and Olson will be the offensive drivers to carry the A’s during these interleague home games, and this seems like a time of year to start hitting homers


Betting trends


When Gausman starts, the Giants are 3-3 when the money line is -100 to -150. The over has cashed in four of five instances.

Prediction


We like Gausman in this matchup. Just enjoy the baseball. Giants win 5-4.

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Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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