In the last of a three-game series between the Oakland Athletics (24-37) and the Texas Rangers (24-37) at O.C. Coliseum, Scott Kazmir (2-4, 3.14 ERA) and Chi Chi Gonzalez (2-0, 0.00 ERA) get the start. The Athletics won the last game 5-4 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game starts at 3:35 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 11 and will air on FSN-SW.
Kazmir is 10-5 with a 3.19 ERA and 1.19 WHIP against the Rangers in his career. Josh Reddick (.308, 26 Rs, 8 HRs, 33 RBIs, 3 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run and one RBI. The Rangers were victorious over the Royals 4-0 the last time Gonzalez pitched. He went 9.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out two and walking two. Mitch Moreland (.308, 17 Rs, 7 HRs, 24 RBIs, 1 SB) has been doing well, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
Oakland, a -152 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Texas. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is seven runs. The Athletics have a losing record of 14-22 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of -2,042. They have not performed well against their division, earning an SU record of 11-19 and a 6-12 record when they were the favorite. The Athletics rank fourth in the AL in hits with 8.8 per game. They typically aren’t overmatched by pitchers, ranking fourth in the AL with an average of only 6.7 strikeouts per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Rangers come into this game with a win percentage of .538 when playing as the underdog (28-24) and an overall money line of +1,434. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 8-2 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 6-2 record. Within their division, Texas’s offense has been struggling. Texas has averaged 3.8 runs per game, compared to 4.6 for the duration of the season. The last 10 games have really brought the best out of the Texas pitchers. They’ve allowed 2.6 runs per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 4.4.
The Athletics have mostly come out on top against the Rangers in their previous nine games this season, earning a 5-4 record. The Athletics will take on a right-hander (Gonzalez) in this game and have a 20-26 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The left-handed Kazmir will take the mound against the Rangers, who have a 9-11 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rangers lost their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Athletics are 4-16. The Rangers are 11-7 in close games this season.
Oakland has won 32% (10-21) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Texas has won 44% (12-15) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Athletics managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rangers who are coming in with a 12-7 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 4-24. The Rangers have a 5-23 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 20th in home runs, Oakland has hit 50 this season. Texas ranks 10th with 61 home runs.
Oakland and Texas both rank in the top five of the league in hits. Oakland sits at fourth with 8.78 hits per game and Texas ranks fifth with 8.69.
Ranking 17th, Oakland is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.704). Texas ranks in the top 10 at eighth with an OPS of .725.
When the Rangers allow at least one home run, they are 14-23. When the Athletics allow one or more homers, they have a 5-24 record.
