Player Rankings for Angels vs Athletics – 5/22/25

Los Angeles Angels

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Athletics

The Oakland Athletics host the Los Angeles Angels in a pivotal matchup on May 22, 2025, at Sutter Health Park. The Athletics are struggling this season with a record of 22-28, while the Angels sit slightly better at 23-25. Both teams are looking to turn their fortunes around, especially after the Athletics lost 10-5 to the Angels yesterday, marking a disappointing trend for the home team.

Projected starting pitchers for today’s game are Luis Severino for the Athletics and Tyler Anderson for the Angels. Severino, ranked the 152nd best starter in MLB per advanced-stat Power Rankings, holds a 1-4 record this season with a 4.22 ERA. Although his ERA is above average, his 3.56 FIP indicates he has faced some bad luck this year, suggesting a potential for improvement. Severino’s last outing was encouraging, as he pitched 6 innings with no earned runs, which could give him a confidence boost.

On the other side, Tyler Anderson has a solid 2-1 record with an impressive 3.04 ERA, but his 4.75 xFIP suggests he may not sustain this level of performance. Anderson’s recent start saw him allowing 4 earned runs over 5 innings, which raises questions about his consistency against a potent Athletics offense that ranks 11th overall in the league. Despite their struggles, the Athletics remain strong in power, ranking 9th in home runs.

Betting markets favor the Athletics with a moneyline set at -135, reflecting a 55% implied win probability. With a high Game Total of 10.5 runs, this game promises to be an offensive showcase, especially with both teams featuring hitters capable of capitalizing on pitching mistakes. As the Athletics aim to bounce back, they have an opportunity to leverage their offensive strengths against a shaky Angels pitching staff.

Los Angeles Angels Insights

• Los Angeles Angels – 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline (+100)
  Tyler Anderson is an extreme flyball pitcher (40.2% FB% via the leading projection system, THE BAT) and will be disadvantaged pitching in the #9 HR venue among all stadiums in this matchup.
  Explain: This pitcher’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.
• Nolan Schanuel – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+135/-180)
  The Athletics have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Nolan Schanuel stands a good chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game.
  Explain: Hitters perform worse against pitchers of the same handedness (i.e. righty-vs-righty), and being able to avoid those matchups against the bullpen boosts performance and creates hidden edge.
• Los Angeles Angels – 2H Moneyline
  According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), the Los Angeles Angels’ bullpen profiles as the 8th-worst out of all the teams in the majors.
  Explain: Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a weak bullpen sneakily creates an easier matchup for the opposing offense and boosts a game’s runs.

Athletics Insights

• Luis Severino – Over/Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-160/+125)
  Despite conventional wisdom, fastballs are generally a pitcher’s least effective pitch. Luis Severino has utilized his off-speed and breaking balls 8.9% more often this year (48.6%) than he did last season (39.7%).
  Explain: A pitcher who limits has fastball usage will instead heavily use change-ups, curveballs, sliders, etc. These are far more effective pitches at preventing runs and generating strikeouts.
• JJ Bleday – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-155/+120)
  Los Angeles’s #2-ranked outfield defense of all teams on the slate poses a formidable challenge for JJ Bleday, who tends to hit a lot of flyballs.
  Explain: This player’s skill set matches up poorly with the opposing team’s defensive strength, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.
• Brent Rooker – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (-120/-110)
  In today’s game, Brent Rooker is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 11th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 39.5% rate (94th percentile).
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Betting Trends

• Athletics – Over/Under 5.5 Team Total (+105/-135)
  The Athletics have hit the Team Total Under in their last 7 games (+7.25 Units / 97% ROI)
• Los Angeles Angels – Moneyline (+115)
  The Los Angeles Angels have hit the Moneyline in 7 of their last 11 away games (+8.35 Units / 76% ROI)
• Taylor Ward – Over/Under 0.5 Runs (+100/-130)
  Taylor Ward has hit the Runs Over in 8 of his last 10 games (+8.35 Units / 83% ROI)