The Oakland Athletics will face their division rival Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park. The action will begin at 8:05 p.m. ET and NBC Sports – California will broadcast the game.
Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers Odds
Both teams have matching -105 moneyline odds and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this game at 10.5 runs (+100 for the over and -120 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the current runline odds standing at +140 for the Athletics -1.5 runs and -160 for the Rangers +1.5.
The Rangers are only 8-17 SU and 9-15 ATS. They’ve lost 3.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 9.8 units against the spread (ATS). Texas has covered the spread only twice in its last seven games and the total went over in five of those seven. On the other hand, the Athletics have gone 13-11 SU this year and are 11-12 ATS. In total, the team’s accumulated 1.1 units for moneyline bettors in the season’s early going, but have lost 2.9 units ATS. Oakland has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
Texas games have a 12-11-1 over/under record so far in 2018. The Athletics have an over/under record of 13-9-1.
Right-hander Kendall Graveman is the projected starter for the visiting Athletics. Graveman is 0-4 with a 10.07 ERA and 16 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA against Texas this year (four starts).
The Rangers are sending righty Doug Fister (1-2, 3.95 ERA) to the mound. Fister has 13 strikeouts and five walks to his name, as well as a 1.61 WHIP. Fister is 0-1 with five strikeouts and a 4.91 ERA in one start against Oakland this year.
As a unit, Texas’ pitching staff has allowed 5.2 runs per game overall in 2018. The club’s starters have an ERA of 5.00, a WHIP of 1.49 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.7. The bullpen has a 4.47 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 8.4 K/9. In 19 divisional games, Rangers starters have an ERA of 4.62 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.35.
The Texas hitters are putting up 3.6 runs per outing, including 3.3 per game against divisional foes and 4.4 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .235/.330/.377 over its last five matchups and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
The Rangers’ offense has been led by Elvis Andrus and Shin-soo Choo. Andrus is slashing .327/.426/.500 with 17 hits, five RBIs and seven runs scored, while Choo’s line is .250/.324/.469 with five homers, 11 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Oakland’s pitching staff allowed 4.7 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.58 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 7.45 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.75, along with a K-per-9 of 7.30.
Athletics hitters have slashed .272/.356/.452 on their way to 5.3 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
Oakland’s offensive production been led by second baseman Jed Lowrie and third baseman Matt Chapman, who’ve collectively swatted 11 home runs. Lowrie is slashing .363/.420/.618 with six home runs, 24 RBIs and 13 runs scored, while Chapman is slashing .281/.385/.539 with five homers, 14 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .234/.313/.472, Chapman didn’t seem to enjoy hitting against righty pitching on the road in 2017, maintaining a slash line of only .149/.243/.347 across 115 such plate appearances.
The Athletics have gained 2.9 units and are 6-7 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in nine of those games, compared to four that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Rangers have lost 0.1 units and are 8-10 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in eight of those games, compared to nine that’ve cashed the under.
Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Rangers, ATS Winner – Rangers, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The Athletics have won eight of their last nine games SU while the Rangers have lost five of their last six SU.
- Texas has recorded 20.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 19.6 over its last five.
- Each team has hit 12 home runs over its last 10 games.
