The Los Angeles Angels are struggling so badly on the mound that they can use help from wherever they can get it, so the prospect of a two-time Cy Young winner recapturing at least some of his form is exciting to them. On Thursday they will once again put Tim Lincecum out there against the Oakland Athletics in an American League encounter that is scheduled to get underway at 10:05 PM ET in Anaheim. BetAnySports patrons will have the opportunity to continue wagering even after the first pitch is thrown, as they use the state-of-the-art software of Live Betting Ultra to challenge the MLB betting odds in real time.

Lincecum not only won two Cy Youngs in the National League, he won them back-to-back, and led the senior circuit in strikeouts three times. But that was eons ago, as far as the baseball timeline is concerned. Even though he has twirled a couple of no-hitters, somewhere along the line he lost some of his form, and was reduced to rank-and-file status. Last season got cut short with a hip injury, and his last start was June 27. His career with the San Francisco Giants was over at that point as well. He has gotten a chance to hook on with the Angels, and so far so good, as his first start, this last Saturday, went six innings, as he gave up just one run to the A's. Now he will turn around and again take aim at the AL's worst offense, which has produced just 3.91 runs per game.

That is one of the reasons Oakland has lost 13 of its last 17 games and is sitting with a 29-42 record, fifth (and last) in the AL West, and 17 games behind the Texas Rangers. The Angels aren't doing much better, with a 31-41 record and fourth place in the division.

In the MLB betting odds posted on this game by the people at BetAnySports, Lincecum and the Angels are the favorites:

Los Angeles Angels (Lincecum - R) -133
Oakland Athletics (Graveman - R) +123

Over 8 Runs -120
Under 8 Runs +100

While it is "getaway day" for a lot of major league teams, this begins a four-game set between the A's and Angels, and Los Angeles has had the clear edge in recent meetings, winning 13 of the last 20. But they have not won the games they were supposed to win; the Angels are just 9-22 against teams with losing records. And the 4.64 ERA of their pitching staff is next-to-last in the AL.

And as long as you want to stay on the subject of pitching problems, the Angels have had some. CJ Wilson hasn't even been available, as he has tendinitis in his shoulder, Jered Weaver's ERA is 5.10; Matt Shoemaker, who is considered to have a big future, is at 4.43, and Hector Santiago, who was an All-Star last year, is a whopping 4.99. They are willing to give Lincecum, a right-hander, every opportunity to make an impact.

BetAnySports customers saw that Oakland starter Kendall Graveman (2-6, 4.87 ERA) was pretty impressive himself when he faced the Angels last time. Unfortunately, he did not get credit for a victory, but you can't do a heck of a lot better than to allow just one run on three hits, as he did last Friday in an A's win. Unquestionably his teammates are going to have to help him out, but they have pushed only twelve men across the plate in the last five games.

One question mark surrounding Thursday's encounter is whether Albert Pujols will be available for the Angels. He seemed to strain his left hamstring trying to beat out a double play ball on Sunday (he is prolific in that category) and has been seated for the last two games,. The expectation is that he may miss a third straight contest. Without him, Mike Trout is the only other Angel in the lineup with genuine power.

Graveman has been touched in road starts, with a 7.03 ERA, but he does have a 1.88 ERA in four career starts against this Angels crew. Again, though, the A's will need offense - they have batted only .236 against right-handed starters.

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