A’s vs. Rangers: Texas Rangers Remain Without David Dahl

Is the future of watching live sports via the Internet? Could be, and bettors who want to check out Tuesday’s AL West matchup between the Oakland A’s and Texas Rangers can do so free by watching it on YouTube. The A’s are favored on the MLB odds.

How to Bet A’s at Rangers MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Tuesday, 8:05 PM ET
Where: Globe Life Field
Probable pitchers (away/home): Cole Irvin/Jordan Lyles
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: YouTube

Why Bet on Oakland?

Oakland was 7-3 vs. Texas last year, its fourth consecutive season series victory over the Rangers, which is just the second time the A’s have won four consecutive season series against Texas.

The A’s are 28-14 (.667) in night games compared to 16-14 (.533) during the day. They have the best record at night in the majors. Oakland is 18-9 (.667) in games in which the opponent starts a left-handed pitcher compared to 26-19 (.578) when they start a right-hander. The A’s are batting .256 with a .771 OPS on the road compared to .222 with a .707 OPS at home.

The A’s have made a move to bolster the bullpen in calling up right-hander Domingo Acevedo from Triple A. He put up stellar numbers of a 2.76 ERA and 27/3 K/BB ratio over 16 1/3 relief innings in the minors. He was once a promising pitching prospect with the Yankees.

However, the news isn’t good on outfielder Stephen Piscotty. He was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left wrist sprain over the weekend. Manager Bob Melvin said that Piscotty will see a hand specialist. The 30-year-old hasn’t been great this year in dealing with the wrist problem since the spring, slashing .217/.284/.327 with four home runs and one stolen base across 141 plate appearances.

It’s Cole Irvin (4-7) on the mound. Irvin gave up four runs and nine hits over 5 2/3 innings last Wednesday vs. the Angels. All the damage against Irvin came in the first two innings, but Irvin settled down and gave the A’s a chance to mount a comeback. That rally came in the bottom of the sixth, after he was no longer the pitcher of record for Oakland. Irvin has a 3.89 ERA and 56:14 K:BB through 81 innings. He is not going to overpower the opposition, instead relying on his sinking fastball to induce grounders. Irvin’s 17.1 percent strikeout rate is among the lowest among MLB pitchers.

Irvin will be making his first career start against Texas and is still in search of his first win against an AL West club this season. Irvin 4-0 with a 1.18 ERA and .227 opponents’ batting average in six starts on five days rest or more compared to 0-6 with a 6.05 ERA and .302 opponents average in seven starts on four days rest.

Why Bet on Texas?

Texas is 7-15-1 in 23 overall series in 2021, 4-6-1 at home and 3-9-0 on the road. The team is 1-10-1 in last 12 series, including 0-7-1 in last 8 series. Texas is 1-3-1 in its last 5 series at home.

The Rangers remain without outfielder David Dahl, who began a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday. He has been sidelined since May 26 with a rib injury and also developed some back discomfort while on the injured list. The 27-year-old is hitting just .208/.242/.340 with four homers, 12 RBI and a 41/6 K/BB ratio through 154 plate appearances on the season. Dahl is eligible to be activated at any time.

It’s Jordan Lyles (2-5) on the mound. Lyles allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings in a loss against the Astros last Wednesday. Lyles was hurt by the long ball as he surrendered a run on the second pitch of the game. Jose Altuve took him deep to put the Astros on the board in the first. After hitting Carlos Correa in the second inning to put him on first, Chas McCormick launched a homer to right field. Martin Maldonado added a solo shot two batters later, and Myles Straw homered in the fourth to make it a 5-1 game.

A walk and a base hit in the fifth would end the day for Lyles. He entered the contest having gone at least five innings in each of his previous seven starts, but that streak came to a screeching halt. The rough outing pushed Lyles’ season ERA to 5.68.

The Rangers are hoping to flip Lyles before the trade deadline. Lyles is on the second year of a two-year, $18 million that he signed back in 2019, so potential suitors wouldn’t have to worry about financing the acquisition past this current season.

In his career, Lyles has gone 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in four career appearances vs. Oakland, tied for his third-lowest ERA vs. any foe. He is 1-1, 6.52 ERA at home this season.

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