:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71208242/1242276575.0.jpg "A's vs. Angels prediction: Picks, odds, live stream, TV channel, start time on Thursday, August 4")
The Oakland Athletics and LA Angels square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 4:07 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Paul Blackburn (6-6, 4.15 ERA) will throw for the Athletics with Janson Junk (1-0, 0.00 ERA) on the mound for the Angels.
Oakland (40-66) snapped a three-game losing streak on Wednesday and will go for the series victory on Thursday afternoon. Blackburn will make his 20th start of the season and is coming off an outing where he threw five scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox. The Athletics offense is last in on-base percentage (.275), and Sean Murphy hit a home run on Wednesday and drove in 45 RBI this season, which leads the team.
Los Angeles (44-60) will look to pick up a series win following a 3-1 loss as Oakland split the first two games of this set. Junk was called up to the big leagues last Wednesday and threw five scoreless with eight strikeouts in a victory over the Kansas City Royals. The Angels have the fourth-worst on-base percentage (.300), and Shohei Ohtani has a team-high 62 RBI on the season.
A's vs. Angels
Pitchers: Paul Blackburn vs. Janson Junk
First pitch: 4:07 p.m. ET
Athletics local broadcast: NBC Sports California
Angels local broadcast: Bally Sports West
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run Line: Athletics -1.5 (+170)
Run total: 8
Moneyline odds: Angels -120, Athletics +100
Moneyline pick: Athletics +100
It is difficult to predict what will happen with a pitcher without a ton of MLB experience and with a matchup that feels like could go either way, let's go with the team getting a slightly higher payout. Blackburn had an inconsistent July, but look for him to get August started on the right foot.
Player prop pick: Paul Blackburn Over 4.5 strikeouts (-110)
The Athletics starter will face a lineup that strikes out more than any other team in the MLB with 9.6 K's per game. Blackburn has just a 7.3 K/9 through 20 stats in 2022, but he could get fairly deep into this game against a bad Angels offense.