The Texas Rangers (20-23) visit RingCentral Coliseum Friday to continue their 4-game series against the Oakland Athletics (19-28). First pitch for Game 2 is set for 9:40 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Rangers vs. Athletics odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: Texas leads 3-1 and has a plus-10 run differential in those meetings.
The Rangers beat the A’s 4-1 in the series opener Friday punctuated with a 3-run rally in the top of the 9th that featured a 2-run homer by Rangers 1B Nathaniel Lowe.
Rangers at Athletics projected starters
RHP Jon Gray vs. LHP Cole Irvin
Gray is 1-2 with a 5.14 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9 and 8.7 K/9 in 28 IP over 6 starts.
- Last start: Lost 2-1 Saturday at the Houston Astros with 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB and 4 K.
- 2021 vs. the A’s: One start, a 9-5 loss at home June 4 pitching for the Colorado Rockies (2 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 HR, 2 BB, 0 K).
Irvin is 2-2 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9 and 5.9 K/9 in 33 2/3 IP across 6 starts.
- Last start: Lost 4-1 Sunday at the Los Angeles Angels with 6 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 1 HR, 2 BB and 4 K.
- 2022 vs. the Rangers: One start, a 2-0 home win April 24 with 5 scoreless IP, 1 H, 2 BB and 4 K.
Rangers at Athletics odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:22 p.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Rangers -130 (bet $130 to win $100) | Athletics +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Rangers -1.5 (+133) | Athletics +1.5 (-165)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: +100 | U: -125)
Exclusive USA TODAY Network offer: Deposit $10 or more, get $200 in instant bet credits at Tipico Sportsbook! New customer offer in CO and NJ. 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Place your legal, online sports bets at Tipico. Let’s make this interesting. Bet now!
Rangers at Athletics picks and predictions
Prediction
Athletics 5, Rangers 3
Money line
BET the ATHLETICS (+105) because the Rangers (-130) cannot hit on the road and Oakland has edges in starting and relief pitching.
Texas’s lineup is 27th in wRC+ (80), 28th in wOBA (.274) and last in BB/K rate (0.25) in away games, according to FanGraphs.
Irvin has a 3.10 ERA in his last 5 starts vs. the Rangers dating back to the start of 2021 and FanGraphs has Irvin power-ranked slightly ahead of Gray.
Also, Oakland’s bullpen is 7th in FIP (3.53) and 4th in HR allowed per 9 innings (0.63) while Texas’s bullpen has a 4.25 FIP (ranked 28th) and 1.14 HR allowed per 9 (25th).
Win your fantasy baseball league with BaseballHQ.com. For decades, BHQ has been helping players just like you win! Use the couple code SBW22 for 20% OFF full-season subscription. New customer offer; expires 6/30/2022. Subscribe today and start winning!
Run line/Against the spread
PASS because the Athletics +1.5 (-165) are a gross 3-11 RL as home underdogs, which makes Oakland’s insurance for the ML way too expensive. Also, all 4 Rangers-Athletics games in 2022 have been decided by at least 2 runs.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 7.5 (-125) because of Texas’s aforementioned hitting struggles on the road, because the Rangers are 6-14-1 O/U in away games, the A’s are 7-11-3 O/U in home games, Oakland is 1-5 O/U in Irvin’s 6 starts and because the Under has cashed in 4 of the last 5 Rangers-Athletics meetings.
Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO, NJ and soon IA. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Geoff Clark on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Additional MLB coverage:
BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
BaseballPress.com: Your source for every MLB lineup
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[mm-video type=playlist id=01fb7dafw2b08817yr player_id=none image=https://sportsbookwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]