MLB Baseball
2025-08-15 - Los Angeles Angels at Athletics
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : MLB Baseball
Friday 15th August 2025 - Scheduled 10:05pm
3:05am (British Time)
Preview
Moving into mid-August, it is going to feel like now or never for some of the teams on the edge of the Wild Card race in both the American and National League.
One of those teams is the Los Angeles Angels (59-62) and 5 games out of the Wild Card spots, but a team that has some real momentum behind them with four wins in the last five, including a sweep of rivals Los Angeles Dodgers.
They begin a series with the Athletics (54-69), a team that needs to be respected having won three of their last five games. However, it is a series that the Angels have to win and they have beaten this Divisional rival eight times in a row, including a four game sweep on the road earlier in the year.
Veteran Yusei Kikuchi will be given the ball for the Angels and he has a 6-7 record and a 3.37 ERA from twenty-five starts made this season. The start made to 2025 was very impressive, but Kikuchi has to be careful that he is not wearing down as we approach the final few weeks of the regular season with recent outings not being as consistent.
He does have a 3-1 record in the last seven starts, but the ERA has ballooned out to 4.91 in those, while he just allowed four runs in 5 Innings thrown against the Detroit Tigers. Fortunately for the starting pitcher, the Angels bats have offered up plenty of run support and earned Kikuchi the decision win, despite those early runs allowed.
Earlier this season, Yusei Kikuchi threw into the 8th Inning and did not give up a single run against the Athletics, which should offer some inspiration.
The Athletics are a team in transition and they will offer younger players a chance to impress the remainder of the way. That includes the starting pitcher on Friday when they give the ball to rookie Jack Perkins who is making his eleventh appearance of the season, but just the third start.
The rookie has a 1-2 record with a 4.08 ERA and this is the third start in a row- Jack Perkins has allowed seven runs in 9 Innings thrown this month, but he was better in the second start having chewed through 6 Innings.
With the bats firing, Jack Perkins earned the decision win in that second start against the Baltimore Orioles.
This will be the first time Perkins has thrown against this Divisional rival.
Prediction
This is a big series for the Los Angeles Angels as they continue to move back towards 0.500 and the Wild Card race.
They will need all of their veterans to step up, including Yusei Kikuchi who has just lost some of the early form.
He can get back on track against an Athletics team he has performed well against throughout his career, while the Los Angeles Angels have found some power in the bats.
Jack Perkins had a solid second start for the Athletics in his rookie season, although his team have struggled against this Divisional rival and that may show up over the course of the opening game.
The Pick :
Athletics 4-6 Los Angeles Angels
