Nick Martinez (2-0, 0.35 ERA) starts for the Texas Rangers (7-15) as they square off against Drew Pomeranz (1-2, 4.50 ERA) and the Oakland Athletics (10-14) in the second of a three-game series at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Athletics won the last game 7-5 and Oakland leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 2 and can be seen on CSN-CA and FSN-SW.
Martinez is 2-1 with a 1.91 ERA in his appearances against the Athletics, but goes up against a quality Oakland offense which is batting .264 this season. Prince Fielder (.341, 8 Rs, 2 HRs, 11 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Pomeranz is 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA against the Rangers in his career. He is up against a below-average Texas offense that’s batting just .213. Josh Reddick (.367, 9 Rs, 2 HRs, 14 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
Texas is a slim -109 favorite at home against Oakland. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at nine runs for this matchup. The Rangers have recorded an overall money line of -505 and have shown a weak performance as a favorite this season with a record of 1-2. Texas has gone winless in its last 10 as the favorite.
In games where it is the underdog, Oakland has a 5-4 record and an overall money line of -759. They are 4-4 as the underdog against AL West rivals, and 8-12 SU. 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 6.4 per game, ranking second in the AL. Oakland’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.70 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Athletics are fifth in the AL with an average of 7.7 hits allowed per game.
The Athletics lead the season series, 3-2. The Rangers have a bad 0-3 record at home (2-6 overall) against left-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Pomeranz takes the mound. Martinez (RHP) will be on the hill against the Athletics, who have an 8-10 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
Texas has won 23% (3-10) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Oakland has won 29% (4-10) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Rangers managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Athletics who are coming in with a 4-5 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 2-9. The Rangers have a 3-11 record when opponents outhit them.
Texas ranks near the bottom of the league at 22nd when it comes to home runs, hitting 15 this season. Oakland ranks in the top half at 13th with 19.
Ranking 15th, Texas is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.10 per game. Oakland ranks in the top five at fourth with 9.22.
Ranking 28th, Texas is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.624). Oakland ranks in the top 10 at 10th with an OPS of .722.
The Athletics are 2-9 when they allow at least one home run. The Rangers perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 2-11 record.
