San Francisco Giants @ Oakland Athletics - July 4, 2025

As a seasoned bettor, I’ve seen my fair share of matchups, but when the San Francisco Giants face off against the Oakland Athletics at Sutter Health Park this Friday, there’s a certain energy in the air that tells me it’s time to dig deep and make some calculated predictions.

Let’s break down what we have here. The Giants are sending out their ace, who’s been struggling this season with an 0-5 record and a 3.5 ERA — not exactly the type of stats you want to see if you’re hoping for a dominant performance. But don’t let those numbers fool you; Verlander has shown flashes of brilliance amidst his struggles, boasting over 8 strikeouts per game. If he can harness that potential tonight against an inconsistent A’s lineup, he could just turn things around.

On the other side, we have JP Sears from Oakland. With a record of 6-7 and an ERA hovering above 5, he hasn’t exactly been lights out either. His strikeout numbers are decent at around 7.9 per game, but with the way both teams have performed lately — especially given their low batting averages — this could be an interesting showdown on the mound.

Now let’s talk offense. The Giants come into this matchup averaging just over 4 runs per game and hitting .224 collectively; meanwhile, the Athletics aren’t faring much better at .242. Both teams have had their ups and downs lately: San Francisco managed a solid victory over Arizona before heading into this one while Oakland fell short against Tampa Bay in their last outing.

Bettors need to watch for trends here as well. San Francisco has been dreadful against the spread recently and is just 3-7 in their last ten contests overall. Meanwhile, Oakland has shown some fight with a recent uptick in performance against the spread (4-1 ATS in last five). Still, they’ve struggled mightily at home recently which raises eyebrows about their chances tonight.

Speaking of chances — let’s get hypothetical for a moment: imagine if Verlander taps into that historic form we know he possesses! He could very well exploit an A’s lineup that tends to struggle under pressure. Conversely, if Sears holds his own on the mound and limits damage early on, we might see him keeping his team competitive throughout.

What does all this mean? For me personally? I’m leaning towards taking San Francisco as favorites for this contest despite their recent inconsistency – sometimes betting is about finding value where others may overlook it! As for runs? I predict we’ll see more than ten total runs scored tonight based on both pitchers’ vulnerabilities coupled with average offenses looking to capitalize.

So grab your lucky hat or whatever superstition you swear by because I’m feeling good about taking San Francisco to win while also hitting that Over on total runs scored! Good luck out there!