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The Oakland Athletics (44-97) and Texas Rangers (76-64) meet Saturday, as they continue a 3-game AL West series. First pitch at Globe Life Field is slated for 7:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Athletics vs. Rangers odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Rangers lead 7-4
Oakland had won just 4 of its last 17 road games heading into this series, but the Athletics took Friday’s opener 6-3. The club with the worst record in MLB is 5-2 over its last 7 games.
On the other side, a team with a good record is struggling of late. Texas is just 1-6 on a homestand that started Sept. 1. Struggling on offense and on the mound, the Rangers are just 4-16 over their last 20 games and have slipped from the AL West lead to a 1 1/2 games back of the final AL Wild Card.
Athletics at Rangers projected starters
LHP Kyle Muller vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi
Muller (1-5, 7.62 ERA) makes his 14th start and 16th appearance. He owns a 1.93 WHIP, 4.5 BB/9 and 7.0 K/9 through 67 1/3 IP across.
- Last start: No-decision, 4 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K in 10-6 home win vs. Los Angeles Angels Sunday
- 2023 road stats: 1-4, 10.87 ERA in 27 1/3 IP across 6 starts
- Career starts vs. Rangers: 0-2, 12.91 ERA in 7 2/3 IP in 2 starts
Eovaldi (11-4, 2.95 ERA) makes his 21st start. He owns a 1.05 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9 and 8.1 K/9 through 125 IP.
- Last start: Loss, 1 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 K in 14-1 home loss vs. Houston Astros Tuesday
- 2023 home stats: 5-3, 3.21 ERA in 53 1/3 IP in 9 starts
- Last 5 starts vs. Athletics: 3-0, 1.14 ERA in 31 2/3 IP
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Athletics at Rangers odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:32 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Athletics +210 (bet $100 to win $210) | Rangers -255 (bet $255 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Athletics +1.5 (+104) | Rangers -1.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Athletics at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Athletics 6, Rangers 4
Moneyline
Eovaldi is making his 2nd start off the IL (forearm). He has some generous rates around the margins that are serving to tamp down his surface ERA. Analytic, luck-neutral measures peg the Texas righty for a figure as high as 4.00 in some cases.
Muller is a wildcard but does have some skill measures that swing the other way, and the woeful A’s are catching a reeling Ranger club.
There is some holding of the nose in backing this Oakland club: consider a partial-unit play backing the ATHLETICS (+210).
Run line/Against the spread
The Rangers do not play many 1-run games and this contest has an Over lean. The game could get loose depending on how the bullpens are utilized.
PASS.
Over/Under
The Over cashed by a half-a-run in Friday’s lid-lifter.
With some fade on Eovaldi especially and with Oakland perhaps having to go a bit too deep into its lackluster bullpen, this one has a decent chance of getting into double digits in the runs column.
However, the lean is moderate at most. Consider a partial-unit play on the OVER 9 (-110).
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