Oakland Athletics vs. Texas Rangers Free Preview 04/23/18

The Oakland Athletics will head east to play their divisional rival Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park. NBC Sports – California will televise the matchup and the first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.

Oakland Athletics vs. Texas Rangers Odds

Texas (+110) is the underdog against Oakland (-120) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this one at 10 runs (-110 for the over and -110 for the under). You can also bet on the game’s runline with the current odds standing at +125 for the Athletics -1.5 runs and -145 for the Rangers +1.5 runs.

The Rangers are only 8-15 SU and 8-14 ATS. They’ve lost 3.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 9.4 units against the spread (ATS). Texas has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Athletics are 11-11 SU and have gone 9-12 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors through the early part of the year and 5.0 units ATS. Oakland is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven.

Texas games have an over/under record of 10-11-1 so far in 2018. The Athletics have an over/under record of 12-8-1.

The right-handed Trevor Cahill is projected to start for the visiting Athletics. Cahill is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and eight strikeouts. He has yet to face the Rangers this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (1-0, 0.00 ERA and seven strikeouts over 5.1 innings).

The Rangers will send lefty Matt Moore (1-3, 5.59 ERA) to the mound. Moore has 15 strikeouts and nine walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.71. Moore only made one start against the Athletics in 2017 (0-1, 7.20 ERA and four strikeouts across five innings).

Oakland’s pitching staff allowed 4.9 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 7.23 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.86, along with a WHIP of 1.20.

Athletics hitters have slashed .269/.348/.443 on their way to 5.2 runs scored per game this season, including 4.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).

Oakland’s offense has been led by second baseman Jed Lowrie and third baseman Matt Chapman, who have combined to launch 11 home runs. Lowrie is hitting .351/.402/.606 with six home runs, 23 RBIs and 12 runs scored, while Chapman (.284/.383/.543) has produced five homers, 13 RBIs and 17 runs scored.

Lowrie seemed to take a step back when hitting lefties on the road last year. Over 73 such plate appearances, he maintained a slash line of .203/.301/.359 (compared to his total season line of .277/.360/.448).

For the home team, Texas’ pitching staff has allowed 5.2 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starters have a 5.10 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.18 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 8.6 K/9. In 17 divisional games, Rangers starters have an ERA of 4.70 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.06.

The Texas offense has put up 3.7 runs per contest, including 3.4 per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .256/.352/.405 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.

The Rangers’ offense has been led by Elvis Andrus and Shin-soo Choo. Andrus is hitting .327/.426/.500 with 17 hits, five RBIs and seven runs scored, and Choo’s line is .247/.320/.483 with five homers, 11 RBIs and 14 runs.

The Athletics have lost 3.9 units and are 3-5 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in three of those games, compared to four that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Rangers have lost 0.2 units and are 7-9 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s cashed in six of those games, compared to nine that went under the total.

Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers Prediction

Predictions: SU Winner – Rangers, ATS Winner – Rangers, O/U – OVER