The Texas Rangers will head west to face their division rival Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. NBC Sports – California will be televising the matchup and the game is scheduled to get underway at 10:05 p.m. ET.
Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics Odds
The Rangers have gone 56-70 SU this year and are 63-62 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle very much this year, losing 0.5 units for moneyline gamblers and 1.3 units ATS. Texas is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the under has hit in three of those seven. The Athletics, on the other hand, are 74-50 SU and 63-60 ATS. They’ve gained 30.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 1.1 units ATS. Oakland has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven.
Athletics games have a 55-60-8 over/under record in 2018. Texas has an over/under record of 59-57-9.
The right-handed Bartolo Colon will get the nod for the visiting Rangers. Colon is 7-10 with a 5.19 ERA and 75 strikeouts. He’s 1-1 with nine strikeouts and a 4.50 ERA against Oakland this year (three starts).
The Athletics will turn to righty Mike Fiers (8-6, 3.38 ERA) to the mound. Fiers has 100 strikeouts and 26 walks to his credit, as well as a 1.20 WHIP. Fiers is 2-0 with 11 strikeouts and a 2.38 ERA over two starts against Texas this year.
Texas’ pitching staff allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.42 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 6.33 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.16, along with a WHIP of 1.45.
Rangers hitters have slashed .247/.329/.416 on their way to 4.8 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
Shin-soo Choo and Jurickson Profar continue to lead Texas’ offense. Choo is hitting .285/.396/.481 with 20 home runs, 57 RBIs and 71 runs scored, while Profar is hitting .250 with 14 homers, 65 RBIs and 65 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Oakland’s pitching staff has allowed 4.2 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 4.11, a WHIP of 1.21 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 6.6. The bullpen has a 3.38 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 9.1 K/9. In 54 divisional games, Athletics starters have an ERA of 5.19 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.76.
Oakland’s offense has put up 4.7 runs per contest, including 4.4 per game against divisional foes and 3.6 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .234/.298/.440 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
The Athletics’ batters have been led by shortstop Marcus Semien and second baseman Jed Lowrie. Semien is slashing .263/.322/.386 with 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, 71 runs and 13 stolen bases, and Lowrie’s line is .270/.349/.464 with 19 homers, 76 RBIs and 54 runs scored.
The Rangers have gained 1.3 units and are 44-41 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 37 of those games, compared to 44 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Athletics have netted 22.1 units and are 39-39 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 37 of those games, compared to 38 that went under the total.
Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Athletics, ATS Winner – Rangers, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has cashed in only two of Oakland’s last seven games.
- The Rangers have won three of their last four games SU.
- Texas has posted 23.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 25.8 over its last five.
- The Rangers have hit 11 home runs in their last 10 games. The Athletics have hit 12 over their last 10.
