Los Angeles Angels vs. Oakland A’s July 19 MLB Betting Preview: Is Mesmerizing Ohtani a Good Bet Tonight in Oakland?

The AL West has four teams that are .500 or better entering the week, and two of them meet in Oakland as the Angels visit the A’s. The Angels really need this series if they are going to mount any sort of challenge in the second half. For now, they are only well behind in both the AL West and AL wild-card standings, and MLB betting odds do not look favorably upon their chances to make some noise.

The Angels started the second half with a chance to reel in the Mariners a little bit, but they lost 2 of 3 to Seattle over the weekend. It is the same old story of the pitching not being good enough.

For Oakland, they are less concerned with what the teams behind them are doing and more focused on the Houston Astros at the top. But they did not take advantage of the Astros’ weekend series loss to the Chicago White Sox, as they surprisingly lost two of three at home to the Cleveland Indians.

The start of the week has a bunch of juicy series, but for entertainment and potential MLB betting value, this game was hard to beat.

MLB Betting Matchup: Los Angeles Angels (46-46) vs. Oakland A’s (53-42), MLB Network, 9:40 PM ET

Probable Pitchers

• Los Angeles Angels: Shohei Ohtani (4-1, 3.49 ERA)
• Oakland A’s: Cole Irvin (6-8, 3.65 ERA)

Angels vs. A’s Betting Odds

• Moneyline: Angels -114, A’s -106
• Total: OVER 8.5 (-114), UNDER 8.5 (-106)
• Run Line: Angels -1.5 (+146), A’s +1.5 (-175)

Odds are via BetOnline Sportsbook as of Monday, July 19 at 9:11 am ET. For MLB betting odds for today’s other matchups, check out our MLB odds.

Angels vs. A’s Betting Consensus

• Moneyline: Angels 40%, A’s 60%
• Total: Over 40%, Under 60%
• Run Line: Angels 20%, A’s 80%

Los Angeles Angels vs. Oakland A’s July 19 Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More

Can The Angels Hold Out?

The Angels have been hanging around even though three-time AL MVP Mike Trout has not played since May 16. That is two months without the best player in the game. He is expected back next month, but will it be too late? Also on the shelf are third baseman Anthony Rendon and outfielder Justin Upton. Those are three big bats and a projected 100+ homers.

On the mound, it is a totally different story. The rotation has been mediocre to bad all season long. More offense always helps, but no lineup is “on” every game. That is where the right move would make a real difference, but will they make it?

Oakland Needs to Get Out of Neutral

A month ago Oakland saw the end of a seven-game winning streak. Since then they have not won more than three in a row, making it hard to gain any ground in the AL West. First baseman Matt Olson continues to have a very strong season, but the rest of the lineup is also stuck in neutral, or worse. Third baseman Matt Chapman just can’t stop striking out it seems, and the A’s don’t really have another big bat to lean on. It will be interesting to see if they choose to add to their lineup before the trade deadline.

Unlike the Angels, the A’s pitching is more than fine. They might not have a true ace, but they have five guys who are better than everyone that the Angels serve up, save Ohtani. It is that pitching depth that might be worth dealing from to improve the lineup. They are second in the Majors in quality starts.

Shohei Ohtani Home vs. Away

• Away: 1-1, 6.46 ERA, 23.2 IP, 33 Ks, 13 BBs
• Home: 3-0, 1.87 ERA, 43.1 IP, 54 Ks, 22 BBs

Cole Irvin Home vs. Away

• Home: 2-5, 4.30 ERA, 58.2 IP, 37 Ks, 10 BBs
• Away: 4-3, 2.85 ERA, 47.1 IP, 41 Ks, 9 BBs

In terms of arm talent, there is no contest here. But it is hard to ignore those road splits for Ohtani. His lone start against the A’s this season was a road loss on May 28. While it goes down as a quality start, he was not at his best. He allowed only three hits in six innings, but he allowed three runs and four walks in the 3-1 loss.

Irvin’s splits are not great either, which makes it tough to really lean one way or the other based on the matchup. Ohtani is certainly the bigger name, but that doesn’t count for much when determining the right MLB betting move.

Los Angeles Angels vs Oakland A’s July 19 Best Bet

Oakland A’s ML

This one feels like a coin flip. With Ohtani on the mound, the Angels are the MLB betting favorite, and that is likely to draw even more money throughout the day.

But with a solid starter on the hill and the home advantage, the A’s are the way to play this one. Just wait to get the maximum value. The A’s can wait out Ohtani and then seal the game up against the Angels bullpen, which is one of the worst in the league.

July 19 MLB Betting Matchups – American League

MLB Betting Matchup: Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox, NBC Sports Chicago, 5:10 PM ET – Game 1

Probable Pitchers:

• Minnesota Twins: Griffin Jax (1-1, 8.66 ERA)
• Chicago White Sox: Lance Lynn (9-3, 1.99 ERA)

MLB Betting Matchup: Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox, NBC Sports Chicago, TBD – Game 2

Probable Pitchers:

• Minnesota Twins: Jose Berrios (7-3, 3.48 ERA)
• Chicago White Sox: TBD

MLB Betting Matchup: Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Sportsnet, 7:07 PM ET

Probable Pitchers:

• Boston Red Sox: Nick Pivetta (7-4, 4.30 ERA)
• Toronto Blue Jays: Ross Stripling (3-5, 4.34 ERA)

Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays July 19 Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More

MLB Betting Matchup: Texas Rangers vs. Detroit Tigers, Bally Sports Detroit, 7:10 PM ET

Probable Pitchers:

• Texas Rangers: Kyle Gibson (6-1, 2.39 ERA)
• Detroit Tigers: Casey Mize (5-5, 3.59 ERA)

Texas Rangers vs. Detroit Tigers July 19 Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More

MLB Betting Matchup: Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays, Bally Sports Sun, 7:10 PM ET

Probable Pitchers:

• Baltimore Orioles: Spenser Watkins (1-0, 1.74 ERA)
• Tampa Bay Rays: Ryan Yarbrough (6-3, 4.30 ERA)

Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays July 19 Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More

MLB Betting Matchup: Cleveland Indians vs. Houston Astros, Bally Sports Great Lakes, 8:10 PM ET

Probable Pitchers:

• Cleveland Indians: J.C. Mejia (1-4, 7.42 ERA)
• Houston Astros: Zack Greinke (8-3, 3.59 ERA)

Cleveland Indians vs Houston Astros July 19 Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More