Colby Lewis (14-8, 4.68 ERA) and Jesse Chavez (7-14, 4.17 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Texas Rangers (73-66) and the Oakland Athletics (60-80) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Sep. 11 and can be seen on CSCA and FSSW.
Lewis pitched 5.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering six runs (one unearned), striking out five and walking three in a 7-0 defeat to the Angels. Mitch Moreland (.289, 42 Rs, 19 HRs, 69 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4. Chavez went 2.0 innings, surrendering five runs, striking out two and walking five in an 8-3 defeat to the Mariners in his last outing. Ben Zobrist (.287, 67 Rs, 12 HRs, 51 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Athletics, going 2 for 4 Wednesday with two runs, one home run, and one RBI.
Texas is a -155 favorite against Oakland and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Rangers have an overall money line of +2,439 and a record as the favorite of 17-13. Texas is an impressive 3-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Rangers have seen a decline in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 3.9 runs per game. They average 4.4 runs per game on the season. Texas’s pitchers fall apart when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 5.1 against fellow AL West members, compared to its 4.6 season average.
Over in the other dugout, Oakland is coming in with an overall money line of -2,741 and a disappointing record of 27-44 as the underdog. They are 11-16 as the underdog against teams in their division, and 28-33 SU. Offensively, the Athletics have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.2 runs per game by averaging 5.6 during that stretch. The Athletics are tough outs for opponents, ranking fifth in the AL with 8.8 hits per game. Oakland is excellent at drawing walks with 2.9 per road game, ranking fourth in the AL. The Athletics allow 4.2 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 6.6 runs per game during that span.
The Athletics have controlled the season series, 9-4. The Rangers have a 49-39 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Chavez takes the mound. Lewis (RHP) will be on the hill against the Athletics, who have a 47-52 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tex, O/U – Over
Notes
Texas recorded at least two errors for the 20th time this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Rangers are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Athletics have a 15-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 9-51. The Rangers have an 18-50 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 22nd in home runs, Oakland has hit 119 this season. Texas ranks 13th with 141 home runs.
Ranking ninth, Texas is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.60 per game. Oakland ranks in the top five at fifth with 8.75.
Ranking 23rd, Oakland is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.708). Texas ranks in the top half at 13th with an OPS of .726.
When the Athletics allow at least one home run, they are 22-60. When the Rangers allow one or more homers, they have a 36-50 record.
