Oakland Athletics vs San Francisco Giants Prediction 5/18/25 MLB Picks

The Athletics are visiting the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, May 18th at the Oracle Park in the third game of this series, with the Giants having a 2-0 lead. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Athletics vs San Francisco Giants Prediction. We will examine:

The San Francisco Giants’ recent form and player performance

The Athletics’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the San Francisco Giants

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Athletics

Recent betting trends in games played between the Athletics vs San Francisco Giants

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Athletics vs San Francisco Giants game

San Francisco Giants Preview

The San Francisco Giants have a 27-19 record this season and are sitting in third place in the NL West. They have a 15-7 home record and are 27-19 in over/under. They are coming off a 1-0 home victory over the Athletics, and are 3-1 in their last 4 games. Over is 3-1 in their last 4 games, and they are playing the Nationals and the Royals next.

The Giants have a .238 batting average this season, a .314 OBP, and a .389 Slugging percentage. San Francisco’s pitching staff has a 3.39 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.  Jung Hoo Lee leads the Giants with 50 hits, while Wilmer Flores leads the team in RBI with 42 and in home runs with 10. Heliot Ramos is the team’s best hitter, with a .288 batting average

Justin Verlander (R) will take the mound for the Giants, and he has a 0-3 record, 4.31 ERA, and 1.35 WHIP. He has a 4.44 home ERA, and he has 2+ earned runs in his last three starts. Justin Verlander has a 17-8 record with an ERA of 2.60 and 202 strikeouts in 29 appearances versus the Oakland Athletics in his career.   

Athletics Preview

The Athletics have a 22-24 record this season and are sitting in 4th place in the AL West. The Athletics have a 14-11 road record and are 24-18 in over/under. They are coming off a 0-1 road defeat by the Giants, and are 2-8 in their last 10 games. Over is 8-1 in their last 9 games, and they are playing the Phillies and the Angels next.

The Athletics have a .254 batting average this season, a .313 OBP, and a .418 Slugging percentage. Athletics’ pitching staff has a 5.215 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. Jacob Wilson leads the Athletics with 58 hits and a team-high .333 batting average, while Tyler Soderstrom leads the team with 30 RBI.

Jeffrey Springs (L) will take the mound for the Athletics, and he has a 5-3 record, 4.27 ERA, and 1.38 WHIP. He has been very good on the road, with a 2.73 ERA in five road starts. He is coming off a quality start with just one earned run in 7 innings pitched against the Dodgers. This will be his first career start against the Giants.

Why the San Francisco Giants will win

• The Athletics have lost each of their last nine road games following an extra-innings loss.
• The Giants have won each of their last six games against AL West opponents that held a losing record.
• The Giants have covered the run line in each of their last seven games after going to extra innings.
• The Athletics have failed to cover the run line in eight of their last nine road games following an extra innings loss.
• The Giants have led after 3 innings in four of their last five day games.
• The Athletics have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last four day games against NL West opponents that held a winning record.
• The Giants have won the first inning in three of their last four day games.

Why the Athletics will win

• The Giants have lost seven of their last eight day games at Oracle Park following an extra-innings win.
• The Athletics have won each of their last four games against the Giants after going to extra innings.
• The Giants have failed to cover the run line in each of their last nine day games against the Athletics following a home win.
• The Athletics have covered the run line in each of their last seven day games against the Giants following a road loss.
• The Athletics have led after 3 innings in three of their last four day games.
• The Athletics have led after 5 innings in four of their last five day games against the Giants at Oracle Park.
• The Giants have lost the first inning in three of their last four day games against AL West opponents.

Total Runs Facts

• Ten of the Athletics’ last 11 games as underdogs have gone OVER the total runs line.
• Eight of the Giants’ last nine games as favorites against American League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last six games between the Athletics and Giants.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Athletics’ last four games at Oracle Park.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Giants rank T3rd in the league for home runs allowed this season (37).
• The Giants rank 7th in the league for ERA this season (3.39).
• The Athletics rank 30th in the league for walks allowed this season (189).

Athletics vs San Francisco Giants Prediction

The Giants are 3-1 in their last 4 overall meetings against the Athletics, and 5-1 in their last 6 meetings in San Francisco. Under is 5-1 in their last 6 meetings.   

In this Athletics vs San Francisco Giants Prediction, the Giants are coming as -150 home favorites. The Giants are rightfully favored, as they have a better overall record and have been extremely strong at home. The Giants also have the best bullpen in the MLB, but they are struggling to hit lefties this season, as they average just 3.9 runs per game against left-handed pitching, so I’m not willing to lay the juice at home.

Both pitchers have been decent, as Verlander has been excellent against the A’s in his career, and Springs is coming in good form. Both teams combined for just one run in yesterday’s game, and I don’t see this going to 9 runs. Take the under 8.5 in this one.