The Oakland Athletics will look for their second consecutive series sweep when they battle the Los Angeles Angels in a Game 3 showdown at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Start time in this evening’s divisional clash between the A’s and Angels is set for 10:05pm ET. MLB Thursday Odds are favoring the hosting Angels at -130 on the moneyline ($130 wins $100); the Over/Under is set at eight runs (Under is drawing -115 odds). Oakland is a +120 moneyline selection to record its eighth win of the season.

The Oakland A’s, last year’s surprise AL West winner, opened the season with back to back losses to the division rival Mariners, but they have turned things around in a big way since that lackluster start.

The A’s registered their seventh straight win last night as they cranked out 16 hits in an 11-5 series deciding win over the reeling Angels. There were several offensive stars in the win for Oakland but none bigger than first baseman Brandon Moss, who finished the game with two runs, three hits, five RBI, and two walks.

The A’s, who have scored at least nine runs in their last three games, will attempt to continue their power surge this evening against Angels lefty Jason Vargas.

Vargas earned a win in his first start this season after giving up just one earned run over 5.2 innings, but those numbers belied a less than stellar performance. Vargas gave up eight hits and walked two, leaving him with an ugly 1.76 WHIP. The seven year veteran does have some nice career numbers against Oakland, though.

Vargas is 5-5 in 15 appearances against the A’s (13 starts) with a 3.13 ERA and 0.98 WHIP.

Countering Vargas tonight is 25 year old right hander A.J. Griffin. Griffin is also 1-0 on the season as he presided over an 8-2 Oakland win opposite the Mariners last Thursday. The second year pro allowed seven hits and two earned runs over six innings in the lopsided victory.

Griffin is making his second career appearance against the Angels this evening. He orchestrated a masterpiece opposite L.A. last September, yielding six hits and no earned runs over eight innings in a 4-1 Oakland win.

Notable Trends: The Under is 9-1 in Oakland’s last 10 games as a road dog against the Angels with a total between 7.5 and 8 runs.

Oakland Athletics vs Los Angeles Angels MLB Odds:

Oakland Athletics +1.5 (-180), Over 8 (-105), +120 (Moneyline)

Los Angeles Angels -1.5 (+160), Under 8 (-115), -130 (Moneyline)

Baseball Betting Tips from Chuck Edel & Johnny Detroit
Chuck Edel is a well respected gambler / handicapper who appears on numerous radio shows and is frequently featured in the Las Vegas Review Journal. He sits down with Johnny Detroit and goes over some of his personal MLB betting tips.