The Texas Rangers (21-16) travel to face off against the Oakland Athletics (17-20) on Wednesday, May 8th. This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland and televised on NSPCA. The Rangers are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Athletics are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rangers. First pitch is set for 3:37 ET.
Rangers vs Athletics
Thanks to a 10-run 2nd inning for the Rangers’ offense, they cruised to a 15-8 win over the Athletics in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Rangers were favored at -126 on the money line.
Oakland got on the board first in the 1st inning, scoring two runs off Rangers starter Jose Urena. He went just five innings but gave up just one run and picked up the win. Ross Stripling had a rough outing for the A’s, taking the loss after going just 1 2/3 innings and giving up five runs.
Texas had a huge game at the plate, as every starter except for Urena had at least two hits. Marcus Semien went 4/5 with a home run and five RBIs. Jonah Heim also had a four-hit game and drove in two runs.
Texas is on a four-game winning streak, and they lead the AL West by a half-game over the Mariners. So far, they are 7-8 against other teams in the AL West. The Rangers are 21-16 overall and have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games.
At home, the Rangers are 10-9 this year, and they have been really good on the road at 11-7. As the road favorite, the Rangers are 4-1 this year, and they have won four straight as the road favorite. Texas’ overall series record is 6-4-1, and they have won three straight series.
When the Texas Rangers are on the road, they are a solid bet against the run line, going 10-8 this season. Their average run margin in those games is 0.6 runs per game. Their run line win streak is at two games, and they are 8-12 against the run line when favored.
The Texas Rangers have played in 36 games this season, and 32 of them have had over/under lines set at 7.5 runs or higher. The over/under line for today’s game against the Oakland Athletics is set at 7.5 runs, and the Rangers have gone 2-2 in games with that line this season. Their games have averaged 9.0 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 15-21 overall.
Michael Lorenzen Gets The Start For The Rangers
Michael Lorenzen is on the mound for the Rangers today, taking on the Athletics on the road. Lorenzen has had a solid start to the season, picking up a win in his first two outings before taking a no-decision in his last start, where he went 6 innings and gave up 1 earned run.
Rangers Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Rangers are 7th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.6 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .254, which is 6th in the league, and are also near the top of the league in both on-base percentage and slugging. Texas comes into the game with a team batting average of .254.
Adolis García and Marcus Semien have been two of the Rangers’ top power threats this season, with Garcia’s eight homers leading the team and Semien’s six long balls coming in as the 2nd most on the team. Over his last 10 games, Nathaniel Lowe has gone 13/38 with six RBIs, and Corey Seager is batting just .209 over that stretch but does have two homers.
Having lost three straight games, the Athletics will take on the Rangers today with an overall record of 17-20. Oakland is 4.0 games behind the Rangers in the AL West and are 3rd in the division. So far, they are 2-3 in divisional matchups.
As the home team today, the Athletics are 9-12 at home compared to 8-8 on the road. This season, the Athletics have gone 4-1 as the favorite but are just 13-19 as the underdog. At home, they are 5-11 as the underdog. Oakland’s overall series record is 6-4-1, and they have won three straight series heading into this one.
When the Oakland Athletics are favored, they are 2-3 against the run line this season. They are 18-14 against the run line when they are the underdog. The A’s have a run line record of 10-6 on the road compared to 10-11 at home. Their average run margin in games they have won is +3.1, while their average run margin in games they have lost is -4.2. They are currently on a three-game run line losing streak at home.
When the Athletics and Rangers meet, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Athletics games this season is 8.1 runs, and their over/under record is 16-20. In games with an over/under line of 7.5 runs, the over/under record is 4-9. Overall, 56.8% of Athletics games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs.
JP Sears Gets The Start For The Athletics
JP Sears will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run and picked up the win. In that May 3rd outing vs. the Marlins, Sears went 6 1/3 innings and didn’t give up a homer. Looking back further, he has made three straight starts without giving up a homer. Sears has a record of 2-2 this season and an ERA of 3.89. Opponents are batting .203 this season vs. Sears. For the year, he has made three quality starts and is averaging 6.86 strikeouts per nine innings.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Athletics are batting just .214 this season, which is the 23rd best mark in the league. However, they do have the 3rd best home run total in the league and are 5th in isolated power. Overall, they are averaging 3.6 runs per game, which is 25th in the league. One thing to keep an eye on is their collective batting average on balls in play, as they are currently the worst team in the league in this category.
Abraham Toro has been swinging a hot bat for the Athletics, going 14/32 in his last eight games with one homer and five RBIs. For the season, he is batting .287 with three home runs. Brent Rooker is 13th in the league with 21 RBIs and comes in with a season-long batting average of .247.
Rangers vs Athletics Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Rangers vs. Athletics matchup is to take the Athletics on the money line at +106. We have the final score at 6-5 in favor of the Athletics, and with the Athletics getting a win payout, that is the way we recommend playing this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have JP Sears finishing with six strikeouts compared to Michael Lorenzen with four. Sears is also projected to give up fewer hits and have a lower ERA than Lorenzen.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 8, 2024 Athletics, Rangers