Both the Oakland A’s and Texas Rangers have overachieved a bit this year, but it doesn’t much matter in terms of the AL West Division as both are miles behind the first-place Houston Astros. The A’s open a series in Arlington on Friday with it basically a pick’em on the MLB odds.
Athletics vs Rangers MLB Lines, Analysis & Preview
- When: Friday, 8:05 PM ET
- Where: Globe Life Park in Arlington
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Brett Anderson/Lance Lynn
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: Athletics / Rangers
- Opening MLB Lines: Rangers -105, A’s -105 (total 10.5)
Why Bet on Oakland?
The A’s are 8-9 in one-run games and the 17 games are third most in the American League. They are 14-16 in games decided by two runs or fewer and the 30 games are tied for second most. Oakland is 2-6 in extra inning games. The losses are the most in the majors and the eight games are the most in the American League.
Oakland fielders have committed 31 errors for the season, which includes 11 by second basemen, seven by pitchers and 13 by all other positions. The A’s have a .986 fielding percentage, which is fourth best in the American League. Opponents have 41 stolen bases, which is second most in the majors to New York-NL (49).
A’s pinch hitters are 8-for-32 (.250) with two home runs, six RBI and six walks. They rank second in the AL in pinch walks, third in home runs and plate appearances (40), and tied for fourth in hits and RBI. Oakland’s number eight hitters are batting a combined .295, which is the second-best mark in the majors. They have the second-best OPS (.890) in the American League.
Matt Chapman has homered five times in the last 10 games and has 16 for the season, which is tied for sixth in the American League. He leads the AL in home runs by a third baseman (16), home runs at home (12), and is tied for the lead in go-ahead home runs (8, Springer, HOU).
A’s lefty Brett Anderson (6-4) is nursing a mild oblique injury but is on track to start Friday at Texas as scheduled. Anderson made a precautionary exit from Saturday’s start against the Astros after 5.1 innings, but even after the game indicated he didn’t expect to miss a start. The 31-year-old has a 3.95 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 34:26 K:BB through 66 innings this season.
Team Statistics
Offense:
- Runs: 4.89
- Hits: 8.52
- Walks: 3.38
- Strike Outs: 7.85
Defense:
- Runs: 4.51
- Hits: 8.28
- Walks: 3.52
- Strike Outs: 7.82
Why Bet on Texas?
X-rays came back negative on Texas Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo after he was hit by a pitch in the left hand late in the game Wednesday night. Choo was hit by a pitch in the 12th inning Wednesday, just before Delino DeShields’ walk-off RBI single. The 36-year-old Choo hasn’t shown any signs of aging this year, hitting .295/.381/.539 with 11 home runs, 41 runs scored, 28 RBI and three stolen bases.
Fellow outfielder Willie Calhoun expects to begin a minor league rehab assignment next week. Calhoun resumed baseball activities over the weekend and continues to make steady progress in his recovery from a left quad strain.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward said that Jose Leclerc is “getting close” to returning to the closer role. Leclerc was dominant in the 10th and 11th innings of Wednesday night’s marathon victory over the Orioles and boasts a 1.76 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings since the beginning of May. His last save came on April 17, but he should soon swap roles with Shawn Kelley, who has been serving as the Rangers’ primary stopper for the last month-plus.
It’s Lance Lynn on the mound. Lynn struck out seven and got the win over the Royals on Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits and zero walks over 6.1 innings. The veteran ran out of gas starting in the fifth. During the first four innings, no Royals baserunner reached scoring position, but then Kansas City had runners touch at least second base in the fifth, sixth and seventh against the right-hander. Still, Lynn only allowed runs in the fifth and continued to keep the ball in the park. Over his last four starts, Lynn has yielded zero home runs and struck out 33 over 26.1 innings. He is 7-4 with a 4.50 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 77 strikeouts in 74 innings this season.
Lynn is 5-2 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in his last seven starts. His last start against Oakland came on April 23, when he allowed eight runs in 3 1/3 innings. He is 4-0 with a 3.96 ERA in his last four starts at Globe Life Park.
Team Statistics
Offense:
- Runs: 5.69
- Hits: 8.885
- Walks: 3.68
- Strike Outs: 9.76
Defense:
- Runs: 5.24
- Hits: 9.53
- Walks: 3.83
- Strike Outs: 8.24
Athletics vs Rangers MLB Betting Trends
- Over is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings.
- Over is 6-1-1 in the last 8 meetings in Texas.
- Athletics are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in Texas.
- Athletics are 25-9 in the last 34 meetings.
- Rangers are 5-1 SU in the last 6 games
Expert MLB Prediction for Athletics vs Rangers
Rangers 5, A’s 4
