Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics Betting Preview
AL West rivals will battle in the second of a three-game series Saturday as the Texas Rangers (42-49) take on the Oakland A’s (33-62). The A’s will host this one at the Oakland Coliseum, with the first pitch scheduled for 9:07 pm ET.
In the first game of the series, the A’s won 5-4 on Friday. In the win, Cole Irvin went seven innings, allowing just two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out eight.
The offense got two home runs, including Ramon Laureano’s 10th and Seth Browns’ 12th. Brown and Chad Pinder both had two hits apiece for the A’s.
Spencer Howard took the loss for the Rangers. He pitched 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out three and walked three.
Nathaniel Lowe hit his 13th home run of the season for Texas while getting two of the Rangers’ seven hits. Marcus Semien also had two hits for the Rangers.
The Rangers are the favorites Saturday despite playing on the road. They are -132 to win while the A’s moneyline sits at +112. The runline features Oakland +1.5 (-162), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5.
Rangers Looking For Better Second Half
After being one of the leading spenders last offseason, the Rangers were hoping for better results. Spending money on Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Kole Calhoun, and Jon Gray, they were hoping for a record better than 42-50.
While Texas is third in the AL West, they sit 18.5 games behind the Astros in the division. They will look to play better in the second half and improve on their 21-24 road record on Saturday in Oakland.
Taking the mound for the Rangers will be lefty Taylor Hearn. In 15 games, Hearn is 4-6 with a 5.78 ERA and 1.67 WHIP, and he has 62 strikeouts in 67 innings of work.
Hearn took the loss in his last start. In four innings, he allowed two runs on five hits while striking out seven Seattle Mariners.
Offensively, keep an eye on Adolis Garcia. In 20 at bats versus James Kaprielian, he is hitting .250 with two home runs.
The Rangers’ best hitter has been shortstop Corey Seager. He is hitting .249/.321/.474 with a team-leading 22 home runs. He also has 52 runs batted in and 49 runs scored on the season.
A’s Look To Pick Up Another Win At Coliseum
One topic that came up over the All-Star break was the future of the Oakland Coliseum. Commissioner Rob Manfred indicated that the A’s are in dire need of a stadium upgrade, so the time at the Coliseum may be limited. With that in mind, the A’s will look to pick up another home win, but they are just 13-32 there this season.
On the mound for the A’s will be 28-year-old righty James Kaprielian. In 14 games, he is 1-5 with a 5.09 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, and he has 45 strikeouts in 69 innings.
Kaprielian has taken back-to-back no-decisions. In his last two starts combined, he has given up four runs in 11 innings of work.
Offensively, Seth Brown continues to be Oakland’s best hitter. He is hitting .227/.278/.424 with a team-leading 12 home runs and 41 runs batted in.
Against Hearn, Ramon Laureano has the most success hitting .429 in seven at bats with a home run.
Take Rangers To Win And Cover
Both of these teams have struggled this season, but the A’s have undoubtedly been one of the worst in baseball. Not only do they have the worst home record in the league, but they average the least runs at home (2.52) of any team in MLB.
While the Rangers lost the opener, they were going against one of the A’s best pitchers. On Saturday, they should have a much easier time finding success against Kaprielian.
Taylor Hearn is not immune to giving up runs, but expect the Rangers to outslug Oakland in this one. They should both win and cover the -1.5 runline (+134) on Saturday.
