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The Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics will wrap up their weekend series Sunday afternoon. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes our Rangers-Athletics prediction and pick we have laid out below.
Texas has waited and waited for contention, and appear to be waiting at least one more year. With a 42-51 record, Texas is in third place in the AL West, eight games out of a playoff spot.
Oakland is in one of the worst situations in baseball. A comically low payroll coupled with disastrous on-field performance has culminated in a 35-62 record, second-worst in baseball.
Here are the Rangers-Athletics MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rangers-Athletics Odds
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+125)
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-150)
Over: 7 (-122)
Under: 7 (+100)
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Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
Texas will take the field this afternoon in near desperation, looking to avoid a sweep at the hands of their division rival.
Martin Perez, who earned an All-Star berth in a career season (2.68 ERA) will take the mound in this one. Perez has enjoyed a resurgence with Texas, on pace to throw his most innings in a season since 2017, and may finish with the lowest ERA in his career. The 31-year-old keeps his pitches off the barrel better than most, ranking in the 91st percentile of barrel rate.
Texas' bullpen is stellar, with a 3.62 ERA ranking 11th in the league. Brock Burke is the best of that bunch, with a 1.12 ERA in his 48.1 innings of work. Closer Joe Barlow has been solid, converting 13 saves with a 3.26 ERA.
Corey Seager leads the way at the plate, with his 22 home runs pacing the team, one of seven Rangers to reach double-digit home runs. As a team, Texas is eighth in the league with 119 home runs. The long ball has been the main source of offense for Texas, as no batter has reached the .300 batting average mark.
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Nathaniel Lowe leads all qualified players with a .274 average, while Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia are threats on the base path, combining for 30 steals in 34 attempts.
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
Oakland possesses all the momentum in this series, winning the first two contests 5-4 and 3-1.
While the pitching staff as a whole has struggled, Sunday's starter Paul Blackburn has been masterful. Blackburn has registered a 3.62 ERA in his 18 starts, resulting in an All-Star nod. Blackburn's career year can be attributed to his ability to limit hard contact; his average exit velocity ranks in the 66th percentile.
While the closer role has yet to be solidified, Oakland's bullpen has struggled to a 4.18 ERA. Still, AJ Puk (2.27 ERA), Sam Moll (1.78 ERA) and Zach Jackson (2.82 ERA) have been bright spots.
Offense has been a struggle for Oakland, as their .212 average ranks dead last in baseball. Their 74 home runs rank third-to-last in the league. Seth Brown, Ramon Laureano, and Sean Murphy are the only players to hit double-digit home runs. Nobody on the team has managed a .250 batting average.
The momentum of the first two games of this series has to account for something here. Oakland's pitching staff is good enough to be vultured in a couple of weeks, and they will have to be great to complete the sweep.
Final Rangers-Athletics Prediction & Pick
Why not ride the hot hand here? Stranger things have happened!
Final Rangers-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Oakland +1.5 (-150), under 7 (+100)
