The Texas Rangers take on the Oakland Athletics. Check out our MLB odds series for our Rangers Athletics prediction and pick.
Matt Bush will open the game for the Rangers, who are using a bullpen by committee approach to this conest. James Kaprielian gets the start for the Athletics.
Matt Bush has been a late-inning reliever, though not the closer, for the Rangers this season. He has a 3.31 ERA. He has never pitched more than one full inning in any appearance this season. One should therefore presume that he has the first inning and will give way to another reliever in the second. The Rangers are going bullpen by committee here, which is an attempt to reduce strain on their starting rotation. Doing so against the A's is no accident, given how poor the Oakland offense has been this season. If ever there is a time to go to a bullpen game, this is it.
James Kaprielian has a 5.09 ERA. He is a decidedly subpar pitcher, several notches worse than staff ace Frankie Montas and fellow starters Paul Blackburn and Cole Irvin. However, as bad as Kaprielian has been for large portions of this season, he has gotten better over the past month. On June 15, his ERA was 6.31. He has shaved 1.22 runs off that ERA in his last five starts. The A's would be very happy if Kaprielian can settle into a pattern where he pitches into the sixth inning consistently and gives up no more than two runs per start. A 5 1/3-inning, two-run outing would be a good standard for Kaprielian to meet on a regular basis.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Rangers-Athletics MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Rangers-Athletics Odds
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+134)
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-162)
Over: 7.5 (-110)
Under: 7.5 (-110)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Rangers Could Cover the Spread
The Rangers got caught in the squeeze of the schedule on Friday. They were asked to play a makeup game (or, if you prefer, an adjusted-schedule game due to the delay of the start of the season) on Thursday in Miami against the Marlins. They had to fly from Miami to Oakland without an off day and play Friday night. Naturally, they were flat and they lost. Now they get a night of regular rest and should be able to regroup against one of the two teams in the American League West which is clearly worse than the Rangers. James Kaprielian is a subpar pitcher the Rangers should be able to feast on. Texas might give up three or four runs, but it should score five or six.
Why The Athletics Could Cover the Spread
After winning on Friday against the Rangers, Oakland has won two straight games and might be generating a little confidence out of the All-Star break. The A's know they're not going to sniff the playoffs, but after the All-Star break, a team which had endured a lot of losing had a chance to take three days off and mentally regroup. You're seeing Oakland play with more sharpness, and against a mediocre Texas team, that could be enough to win.
Final Rangers-Athletics Prediction & Pick
If you want to bet on a Ranger bullpen game against the Athletics, go ahead, but this feels like a stay-away situation. If you insist on making a pick, take Texas.
Final Rangers-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5
Follow Us
Subscribe