Sonny Gray (3-0, 1.98 ERA) takes the hill for the Oakland Athletics (10-15) as they square off against Yovani Gallardo (2-3, 4.05 ERA) and the Texas Rangers (8-15) in the last of a three-game series at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers won the last game 8-7 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 3 and can be seen on CSN-CA and FSN-SW.
Gallardo is 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA in his appearances against the Athletics, and goes up against a quality Oakland offense which is batting .265 this season. Prince Fielder (.348, 10 Rs, 2 HRs, 11 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs. Gray is 5-2 with a 1.74 ERA when pitching against the Rangers. He is up against a below-average Texas offense which is hitting just .220 this season. Josh Reddick (.385, 10 Rs, 3 HRs, 18 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Athletics, going 3 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and four RBIs.
Oakland takes on Texas as a -145 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Rangers have recorded an overall money line of -605 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 6-13. Texas has recorded a disappointing 2-7 record as the underdog over its last 10 games.
Over in the other dugout, Oakland is coming in with an overall money line of -659 and a disappointing record of 5-10as the favorite. They played poorly as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 2-5 record, and a 3-7 record SU. Offensively, they average 4.9 runs per game, which is good for fifth in the AL. The Athletics are tough outs for opponents, ranking fourth in the AL with 9.2 hits per game. Oakland is excellent at not striking out with just 6.5 per game, ranking second in the AL. The Athletics allow 4.3 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 5.8 runs per game during that span. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Athletics are fifth in the AL with an average of 7.8 hits allowed per game.
The Rangers have a 5-8 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Gray takes the mound. Gallardo (RHP) will be on the hill against the Athletics, who have a 9-10 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Athletics lost by a margin of one run. The Rangers are 2-3 in one-run games. The Athletics have a 0-6 record in close games.
When leading after 7 innings, Texas is 4-10, while Oakland is 4-11.
The Rangers are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Athletics have a 1-3 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 2-10. The Rangers have a 3-11 record when opponents outhit them.
Texas ranks near the bottom of the league at 21st when it comes to home runs, hitting 17 this season. Oakland ranks in the top half at 13th with 20.
Ranking 15th, Texas is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.18 per game. Oakland ranks in the top five at fourth with 9.17.
Ranking 25th, Texas is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.643). Oakland ranks in the top 10 at 10th with an OPS of .725.
When the Athletics allow at least one home run, they are 2-10, well-matched with the Rangers who are 3-11 when allowing at least one homer.
