Thursday's matchup between the Rangers and Athletics is set to get started at 3:37 PM ET from Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA. The Athletics are 4th in the AL West and have a record of 68-90, while the Rangers are 3rd in the division at 75-83.
Texas comes into the game as the slight money line favorite, with their odds sitting at -114 compared to the Athletics at -105. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and this game will be televised on NSPCA.
Texas vs. Oakland Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Rangers at Athletics
- Where: Oakland Coliseum Oakland
- Date: Thursday, September 26th
- Betting Odds TEX -114 | OAK -105 O/U 8.5
Rangers vs Athletics Last Game Recap
It was all Texas in the last game of this series, as the Rangers took down the Athletics by a score of 5-1. The Rangers offense only had two more hits than the A's and struck out 14 times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were at +101 on the money line.
Oakland got on the board first with a run in the 2nd inning, but the Rangers responded with three runs in the 3rd and added two more in the 5th. As for the A's, they were held in check after scoring their lone run in the 2nd.
Cody Bradford only went 3 2/3 innings for the Rangers but gave up just one hit and one earned run. He finished with four strikeouts but issued three walks. Matt Festa got the win out of the bullpen. Brady Basso had a rough outing for the A's, giving up five runs in three innings of work.
Rangers Preview
As the underdog, the Rangers have a 38-34 run line record, but overall, they are 67-91. Texas is 75-83 for the season and 10.5 games behind the Astros in the AL West. They have a 44-37 home record and are 31-46 on the road.
Today's over/under line of 8.5 runs is below the season average for Rangers games, which have gone 26-29 O/U in games with that total. Texas is currently 1-1 in their series against the Athletics, with an overall series record of 20-28-1.
Kumar Rocker and the Rangers are on the road to take on the Athletics. Rocker has started two games this season and has a loss and a no-decision. In his last outing, he went 4 innings and struck out 7, but took a no-decision vs. the Mariners.
Adolis Garcia is the Rangers' top home run hitter this season, but he has struggled with a batting average of just .223. Garcia has gone deep 24 times so far this season, which is 2nd on the team. Corey Seager has been the team's most consistent hitter, batting .278 overall and leading the team with 30 homers. Marcus Semien is also near the top of the home run leaderboard, with 22 homers, but is batting just .235.
Currently, the Rangers are 21st in the league in runs scored, averaging 4.2 runs per game. This is also where they are at in terms of home runs, and they are just 16th in batting average. Texas comes into the game with a few hitters on solid hitting streaks, including Josh Smith, who has hit safely in seven straight games.
Athletics Preview
As the underdog, the Athletics have a run line record of 78-60, but as the favorite, they are just 7-13. Oakland's games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season, resulting in a 75-81 over/under record. In games with an O/U line of 8.5 runs, they are 18-25.
Oakland is 68-90 overall and in 4th place in the AL West, 17.5 games behind the Astros. The Athletics have lost two straight series at home and are 3-7 in their last ten games. In this series vs. the Rangers, they have split the first two games.
J.T. Ginn gets the start for the Athletics today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he gave up just one earned run in five innings of work. Against the Yankees on September 20th, he finished with a no-decision. Looking back over his last four outings, Ginn has finished with a no-decision in three of them. His record for the season is 0-1, and his ERA is 4.39. Opposing batters are hitting .274 off Ginn this season. The right-hander has made one quality start this year and is averaging 8.48 strikeouts per nine innings.
For the season, the Athletics are averaging 4 runs per game, which is 26th in the league. However, they do have the 8th most home runs in the league. As a team, they are batting just .233, which is 18th in the league. Oakland's team on-base percentage of .302 is also 18th in the MLB.
Shea Langeliers has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/29 in his last nine games with three homers. For the season, he is batting just .223 but does have 28 home runs. Brent Rooker has been the team's top hitter this season, batting .296 with 38 homers. His 110 RBIs are 5th best in the league.
Rangers vs. Athletics Prediction: Athletics ML -105
Our predictions for this Rangers vs. Athletics matchup is to take the Athletics on the money line at -105. We have the Athletics winning this one by a final score of 5-4. If you're looking for a potential home run prop, the Athletics are projected to hit the third most home runs in the league today.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have J.T. Ginn finishing with six strikeouts, which is the fourth-best among today's starters. As for Kumar Rocker, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which has him 10th among starters.
