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The Texas Rangers take on the Oakland Athletics. Our MLB odds series has our Rangers Athletics prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Rangers Athletics.
The Texas Rangers are proving that they are for real, and that they are a legitimate World Series contender in the American League. They faltered just before the All-Star break, losing a series to the Washington Nationals and struggling with their chief rival in the American League West, the Houston Astros. Their lead in the A.L. West shrank. Houston, the defending World Series champion, seemed bound to take control of the division. The Rangers were feeling the pressure, and they looked like a team which — in early July — was running out of steam.
However, Texas hit the reset button at the All-Star break and won its first series after the break against the Cleveland Guardians. The Rangers trailed Cleveland in multiple games but rallied to win. That first series seemed to settle down the team and reinforce all the winning qualities it had shown through the first three months of the campaign.
Challenges and problems kept coming, however. The Rangers have lost two of their best and most important players in recent weeks. Catcher Jonah Heim and third baseman Josh Jung have suffered significant injuries. The Rangers could have faltered, but instead, they keep on winning. They just finished off a sweep of the Miami Marlins over the weekend, coming back from a 5-0 deficit on Saturday to win that particular game. They flew to Oakland for a Monday night game and beat the A's 5-3. Are the Rangers better than their opponents? Yes. However, what's impressive is that despite two very important players missing from the lineup, other guys are stepping up and contributing. This team is learning how to take punches and roll with the tide. Texas continues to look like an increasingly strong team which can thrive in October.
Here are the Rangers-Athletics MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rangers-Athletics Odds
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (-142)
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (+118)
Over: 7.5 (-110)
Under: 7.5 (-110)
How To Watch Rangers vs. Athletics
TV: Bally Sports Southwest (Rangers) / NBC Sports California (Athletics) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
For the inside story on the next Shohei Ohtani, listen below:
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT
*Watch Rangers-Athletics LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
The Rangers are far better than the A's. We can start there. We can continue with the fact that Max Scherzer is starting for the Rangers in this game. He had a wobbly beginning to his Ranger career, giving up three early runs to the Chicago White Sox last week in Arlington. However, he rebounded from that shaky start and held the White Sox at bay over the next several innings. The Rangers — as they have done so often this season — roared to life on offense after trailing by two or three runs early in the game. Texas is impressive not just because it wins, but because it responds well to adversity and doesn't normally get rattled when an opponent scores a few early-inning runs. Scherzer and Texas should be able to contain the A's and do what they need to do to win by at least two runs (something they did on Monday night in Oakland).
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Rangers are a good team, but the Jonah Heim and Josh Jung injuries leave the Rangers shorthanded. That is going to show up at some point. Oakland starter J.P. Sears pitched a good game last week against the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers. He threw a lot of pitches but stayed away from the big inning. He made really good pitches deep into the count. His lefty slider is a tough pitch to read and hit. He can limit the production of a Texas batting order which doesn't have two of its better hitters available to play.
Final Rangers-Athletics Prediction & Pick
The Rangers are a lot better than the A's even with Heim and Jung out of the lineup. Scherzer should enable Texas to win this game by multiple runs.
Final Rangers-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5