The Texas Rangers (23-14) and Oakland Athletics (8-31) will square off on Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Texas took Game 1 of this four-game series by a final score of 4-0. The Rangers are playing an impressive brand of baseball at the moment, having won four of their past five games overall. Texas appears to be a legitimate contender in 2023.
The exact opposite can be said about the Athletics. Oakland has dropped five games in a row and is off to a historically bad start in 2023. The Athletics will try to upset the MLB odds at home in this affair.
The first pitch is scheduled for 9:40 PM EST on Friday, May 12 at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA. Let’s take a look at the Rangers vs Athletics pick before you bet on baseball at Bovada.
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Overall Game Info & Outlook
- Texas Rangers vs Oakland Athletics
- The Rangers are 4-1 over their past five games.
- The Athletics are 0-5 over their past five games.
- Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA
- This game is scheduled for 9:40 PM EST
Texas Rangers vs Oakland Athletics Betting Preview
Texas Rangers Preview
The Texas Rangers are relying on a balanced approach despite enduring a number of key injuries. If someone had said both Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom would be dealing with early-season injuries, most people wouldn’t have expected the Rangers to find success.
They have found ways to overcome Seager and deGrom’s absences though. Texas’ offense is scoring runs at a consistent rate, while the pitching has held up. It will be interesting to see if they can continue performing well as the season continues on.
- The Texas Rangers are 22-14 against the spread this season.
- The Rangers are 11-7 against the spread when playing on the road.
- Texas is 10-9 against the spread as a favorite.
- They are 2-3 against the spread when playing as an away favorite.
The Rangers have fared well against the spread overall. Texas’ ability to cover the spread should instill confidence into betters prior to Friday’s game.
The Rangers’ offense, despite Corey Seager’s absence, has impressed. Texas is ranked fifth in batting average, second in runs scored, eighth in home runs, fifth in OBP, and fifth in slugging percentage on the MLB standings.
Adolis Garcia leads the Rangers with nine home runs. He’s flown under the radar to an extent, but Garcia has been a key contributor to Texas.
Pitching-wise, the Rangers’ stats have also been solid. They are eighth in ERA, fifth in WHIP, fifth in batting average against, and fifth in home runs allowed.
Martin Perez (4-1, 3.86) gets the ball for Texas on Friday. The left-hander has pitched well for the most part and should be able to contain the Athletics’ lackluster offense.
Oakland Athletics Preview
The Athletics are a difficult team to trust from a betting standpoint. Home underdogs are typically tempting, but there isn’t much reason to trust Oakland right now.
They haven’t been within three runs in any of their past five losses, consistently losing by eye-opening amounts of runs. Unless something changes Friday, the Rangers will be in a tremendous position for a win.
Let’s take a look at their against-the-spread stats.
- The Oakland Athletics are 15-23 against the spread this year.
- The Athletics are 8-10 against the spread when playing at home.
- Oakland is 15-22 against the spread when playing as an underdog.
- They are 8-10 against the spread as a home underdog.
While many struggling teams can place their underperformance on MLB injuries, the Athletics are simply in the midst of a rebuild. They aren’t expecting to win anytime soon.
Their MLB stats are less than ideal to say the least. The Athletics’ offense is 24th in batting average, 20th in OBP, 23rd in slugging percentage, 27th in runs scored, and 12th in home runs.
Their home runs total isn’t bad by any means. Brent Rooker has been a bright spot, hitting well over .300 with a team-leading 10 home runs.
Pitching is where Oakland’s abysmal performance has stemmed from. They are last in ERA, WHIP, home runs allowed, and batting average against.
Ken Waldichuk (1-2, 7.25) gets the start for the Athletics. He will try to give Oakland a chance at home versus the Rangers.
Let’s take a look at the odds before making our official Rangers vs Athletics pick.
Top Sportsbooks Odds
Betonline: Texas Rangers -1.5
Bovada: Texas Rangers -1.5
MyBookie: Texas Rangers -1.5
BetUS: Texas Rangers -1.5
BetNow: Texas Rangers -1.5
Texas Rangers vs Oakland Athletics Odds & Picks
Odds for this Matchup:
The Rangers are certainly the heavy favorites and will be one of the more popular baseball picks for Friday evening.
Recommended Pick:
It’s time to reveal our Rangers vs Athletics pick.
Is there any reason to take a chance on the Athletics? Can Oakland potentially upset the spread?
As mentioned earlier, home underdogs are usually a decent play. Upsetting the odds in front of the home fans tends to happen more often than one may imagine, but this is the worst team in baseball we are talking about.
Although the Athletics may avoid a complete blowout, the Rangers are the best bet. Martin Perez should cruise the Oakland order while the Texas offense handles the rest.
Go ahead and roll with the Texas Rangers with your MLB betting selection on Friday night in this American League West division affair.
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