It is the start of a three-game set in the AL West as the Oakland Athletics travel to the Texas Rangers. We continue our MLB odds series with an Athletics-Rangers prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Athletics are off to the worst start in baseball, at just 3-16 losers of seven straight games. They have their sights set on greener pastures if by green you are considering the neon lights of Las Vegas. The biggest news for the A's is their preparations for a move to Vegas, but for the Rangers, it is a focus on the here and now. The Rangers are off to a hot start, currently 12-6, and winners of four in a row. The Rangers have already built a 3.5-game lead in the division, and look to continue widening the gap.
Here are the Athletics-Rangers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Rangers Odds
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-128)
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+106)
Over: 8.5 (-120)
Under: 8.5 (-102)
How To Watch Athletics vs. Rangers
TV: NBCSCA/BSSWX
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 8:05 PM ET/ 5:05 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Athletics are bad. They are 27th in baseball with a .225 batting average, and also 27th with an on-base percentage of .302. It seems their new GM would be wise to go back and watch Moneyball. The team is struggling to score, with just 65 runs on the season, which is 26th in the league. The only positive there is that when a guy does happen to get into scoring position, he has a good chance of scoring a run. The Athletics are 7th in all of baseball in leaving men on base, only leaving 3.32 men in scoring position per game. They just need to get into scoring position more.
The league average in on-base percentage is currently at .322, and only five guys on the roster after over that this year. One is Jordan Diaz, who has played in one game this year and went one for two at the plate. Carlos Perez and Brent Rooker are the next two on the list, but both have played in less than two-thirds of the games thus far. The top guy who has played in all but one game is Ryan Noda, who has an on-base percentage of .393 and leads the team with nine runs scored on the year. The only player on the team with an on-base percentage over the league average and who qualifies for the league leaderboard is Esteury Ruiz. The 24-year-old outfielder is hitting .302 with an OBP of .389. He has driven in eight runs and scored seven times on the season.
Ruiz shows hope for the Athletics future, as does starter Mason Miller. The star has amazing velocity and struck out five in just 4.1 innings in his only start of the year. Hopefully, his solid outing rubs off on today's starter, JP Sears. Sears is currently 0-1 on the year with an ERA of 4.60. He has given up a home run in every start this year, with two home runs in two of the starts.
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
The Rangers are currently the leaders in the AL West, have the second-best record in the AL, and fourth the best record overall. They are currently second in the league, only behind Tampa, in terms of runs scored this year and RBIs. While they score a lot, it is not because they are constantly on base, they are 15th in baseball in on-base percentage at .326. What has been good has been they're hitting with runners in scoring position. They are currently second in the league leaving 2.83 runners in scoring position per game. Over the last three games, all wins, they have that down to 1.67 runners left in scoring position.
Leading the way for them are Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien. Gracis has 19 runs batter in this year, on four home runs and a double. He is hitting just .206 this year with an on-base percentage of .253, but that average rises to .407 when runners are in scoring position. Marcus Semien leads the team in batting average at .293, with an on-base percentage of .341. He has 18 RBIS and also four home runs. Like Garcia, Semien has been thriving with runners in scoring position, going eight for 16 with a sacrifice fly on the year.
Jon Gray will be getting the start today for the Rangers. The last time out, Gray left the game after being hit with a line drive. He has not missed a start and will head back to the mound today. In that start, he had given up one run in two innings of work and struck out two before leaving. He has given up two runs in each of the two prior starts as well, going 1-1. His loss was a game in which he gave up two solo home runs but did not receive run support as the Rangers fell 2-0.
Final Athletics-Rangers Prediction & Pick
The Rangers are not a major power-hitting team, so the fact that Sears has given up so many home runs is not as concerning here. Sears WHIP is currently just over one heading into this game. With way the Rangers have been driving in runs, one baserunner can turn into a run quickly. The Athletics are also struggling heavily to score any runs at all. They have been shut out three times this year and scored a combined eight runs in their last five games. If they cannot get out of that dry spell, they may have a chance, but that will not happen today, and the Rangers get the win.
Final Athletics-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+106)
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