The Oakland A’s continue to surprise everyone in baseball as they gain ground on the Seattle Mariners for an AL Wild-Card spot. Athletics at Rangers close a series in the heat of Texas on Thursday night with the oldest pitcher in baseball on the mound for the home side. The A’s are slight MLB odds favorites with the highest total on Thursday’s board.
Tuesday’s grand slam pushed shortstop Elvis Andrus’ career average with the bases loaded to .336 (40-119), 5th-highest in team history (min. 60 PA). Andrus had been 0-for-his-last-5 with the bases loaded dating back to last season before the home run.
It’s 45-year-old Bartolo Colon (5-8, 4.85) for Texas. Colon surrendered five runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings in Saturday’s loss to the Indians. Colon was cruising through the first four innings of the game, having surrendered just two hits and no runs heading into the top of the fifth inning. Then everything changed.
Colon enters this start with 245 career wins, tied with Nicaragua’s Dennis Martinez for most in MLB history by a native of Latin America. He will be making a 4th attempt at the record, as he has gone 0-3, 5.30 (11 ER/18.2 IP) in his last 3 outings. Colon has gone 10-6 with a 3.36 ERA (53 ER/142.0 IP) in 22 career starts vs. Oakland, including 1-0, 2.45 (3 ER/11.0 IP) in ’18. He is 2-0, 2.49 (7 ER/25.1 IP) in his last 4 starts vs. Oakland dating back to 2014.
Athletics at Rangers MLB Odds & Game Preview
RECAP: No matter what, this team always finds a way.https://t.co/GC1Ns9UcgG#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/3ro4l6qWei
— Oakland Athletics 🌳🐘⚾️ (@Athletics) 26 de julio de 2018
- When: Thursday, 8:05 PM ET
- Where: Globe Life Park in Arlington
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Trevor Cahill/Bartolo Colon
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: TuneIn
- MLB Odds: Oakland Athletics -150 / Texas Rangers +130 (Total 11)
Diamondbacks vs Cubs MLB Lines & Betting Prediction
Why Bet on Oakland?
The A’s are one of four teams this season yet to lose a game they led in the eighth inning along with the Yankees, Mariners, and Rangers. For Oakland, that’s in large part to closer Blake Treinen, an All-Star. Treinen tossed a perfect inning to notch a save Tuesday. The Rangers jumped out to a 10-2 lead, but the A’s stormed back with 11 unanswered runs and called upon their closer to protect a three-run lead in the 10th. He did so with ease, as the Rangers didn’t get a ball out of the infield. Treinen is 25-for-29 in save chances this season. The A’s are 40-0 when leading after seven innings and are the only team in the majors that has not lost a game when leading after seven. They have won each of their last 55 games when leading after seven innings, which is their longest such streak since a 61-game streak from June 1-Sept. 22, 2002. They last lost when leading after seven innings on Sept. 2, 2017, at Texas. Oakland is 48-0 when leading after eight. Tuesday was the fourth time in Oakland history the A’s overcame a deficit of eight or more runs and won, the first time since July 20, 2009, when they trailed Minnesota 12-2 and won 14-13. It was the first time they trailed by eight or more after six innings and came back to win since Aug. 30, 1939, at St. Louis. It was the fourth time this year the A’s have overcome a deficit of five or more runs to win. Oakland has 28 come-from-behind wins for the season, which is tied with Boston for the most in the American League and tied for third most in the majors. Oakland starts Trevor Cahill (1-2, 2.95). Cahill yielded one run on two hits over 5 2/3 innings while taking a no-decision in Saturday’s 11-inning win over the Giants. Cahill struck out five and walked three in the outing. He left the contest in line for a victory, but the Giants upended that potential decision with solitary runs scored in the seventh and ninth innings. That latter run tied the game at 3-3 and ultimately pushed it to extra innings. Cahill is 10-4 with a 2.81 ERA (115.1 IP 102 h, 41 r, 36 er, 34 bb, 72 so, 10 hr) in 18 career appearances, all starts, against Texas. The 10 wins are his most against any team. He had a no-decision in his only start this year, a 9-4 A’s win at Texas on April 23 (5.0 IP, 4 h, 3 r, 3 er, 2 bb, 6 so).Why Bet on Texas?
Keone Kela blew his first save of the season Tuesday against the Athletics. Kela likely thought he’d have the night off after the Rangers took a 10-2 lead into the seventh inning, but he was summoned in the eighth inning with one out and the bases loaded and Texas clinging to just a three-run lead. Kela gave up a two-run single to the first batter he faced before retiring the next two to get out of the inning. Stephen Piscotty then hit Kela’s first pitch of the ninth over the center field wall. Kela wound up throwing 40 pitches, so he wasn’t available Wednesday. There’s some talk he could be traded by July 31. The Pirates and Diamondbacks are scouting him. It has been a disappointing season in Texas and that continued this week when the team optioned OF Delino DeShields to Triple-A Round Rock. DeShields opened the season as the Rangers’ everyday center fielder and leadoff man but had a terrible.204/.300/.270 batting line in 322 plate appearances. Fellow OF Joey Gallo is the 9th batter in Texas history with multiple 25-HR seasons before he turned 25 (age as of 6/30). Gallo joins Rougned Odor (2016-17), Hank Blalock (2003-05), and Mark Teixeira (2003-04) as the only Rangers to accomplish the feat since 1994.
Tuesday’s grand slam pushed shortstop Elvis Andrus’ career average with the bases loaded to .336 (40-119), 5th-highest in team history (min. 60 PA). Andrus had been 0-for-his-last-5 with the bases loaded dating back to last season before the home run.
It’s 45-year-old Bartolo Colon (5-8, 4.85) for Texas. Colon surrendered five runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings in Saturday’s loss to the Indians. Colon was cruising through the first four innings of the game, having surrendered just two hits and no runs heading into the top of the fifth inning. Then everything changed.
Colon enters this start with 245 career wins, tied with Nicaragua’s Dennis Martinez for most in MLB history by a native of Latin America. He will be making a 4th attempt at the record, as he has gone 0-3, 5.30 (11 ER/18.2 IP) in his last 3 outings. Colon has gone 10-6 with a 3.36 ERA (53 ER/142.0 IP) in 22 career starts vs. Oakland, including 1-0, 2.45 (3 ER/11.0 IP) in ’18. He is 2-0, 2.49 (7 ER/25.1 IP) in his last 4 starts vs. Oakland dating back to 2014.
Latest MLB Betting Trends
- Athletics are 6-1 in Cahill’s last 7 road starts vs. Rangers
- Athletics are 11-3 in Cahill’s last 14 starts vs. Rangers
- Rangers are 1-5 in Colon’s last 6 starts vs. a team with a winning record
- Rangers are 13-32 in their last 45 home games vs. a right-handed starter
