Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers Pick For 8/30/2024

• Date: August 30, 2024
• Venue: Globe Life Field
• Starting Pitchers:
  • JP Sears - Athletics
  • Jon Gray - Rangers

Betting Odds

Oakland Athletics vs Texas Rangers Win Probabilities

Implied Win % in sports betting represent the probability of an outcome as suggested by the betting odds. It's a way for bettors to gauge the likelihood of an event occurring based on the odds offered by sportsbooks.

Projected Win %, also known as projected win probability, is an estimate by ATS.io to determine the likelihood that a team will win a game or event. This projection is often based on various factors such as team performance, statistics, and historical data.

Oakland Athletics vs Texas Rangers Betting Preview

As the Texas Rangers prepare to host the Oakland Athletics on August 30, 2024, both teams are looking to break out of their respective slumps. The Rangers sit at 63-71, having experienced a disappointing season, while the Athletics are faring even worse at 58-76. Both squads are not in contention for a playoff spot, making this matchup more about pride than postseason aspirations.

In their last outings, the Rangers narrowly defeated the Chicago White Sox 2-1, showcasing a solid performance from their bullpen, which ranks 6th best in MLB according to advanced statistics. Meanwhile, the Athletics fell to the Cincinnati Reds in a high-scoring affair, losing 10-9, which highlighted their struggles on the mound.

On the pitching front, Jon Gray is set to take the mound for the Rangers. Despite a rough outing in his previous start, where he allowed 7 earned runs in just 2 innings, Gray's overall metrics suggest he may have been unlucky this season. His FIP of 3.51 indicates he could improve moving forward. On the other side, JP Sears is projected to start for the Athletics. Sears is having a tough year, and his last start saw him surrender 5 earned runs over 4 innings, which has contributed to his poor performance metrics.

When considering offensive capabilities, the Rangers’ bats have struggled overall, ranking 24th in MLB. However, their best hitter, Corey Seager, is in good form, boasting a .385 batting average over the last week. Conversely, the Athletics have shown some power, ranking 4th in home runs, but their overall offensive performance remains lackluster.

With the Rangers being favored at -150 and projected to score 4.76 runs, they appear to have the upper hand against the Athletics, who are projected for just 3.91 runs. This matchup may provide the Rangers an opportunity to build on their recent success and capitalize on a struggling Athletics team.

Quick Takes Oakland Athletics:

JP Sears's 91.4-mph velocity on his fastball this season is a big 1-mph fall off from last season's 92.4-mph figure.

• Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs, so a pitcher whose velocity decreases will likely see worse results.

Seth Brown has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 96.3-mph average in the last two weeks to his seasonal 89.1-mph EV.

• Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.

In today's matchup, Daz Cameron is at a disadvantage facing the league's 6th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 40% rate (99th percentile).

• This player's skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he's in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Quick Takes Texas Rangers:

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) expects Jon Gray to be limited in this matchup, projecting a maximum of 68 pitches.

• A pitcher who is on a pitch count is likely to be pulled from the game earlier, record fewer outs, and generate fewer strikeouts.

Against the weak defense of Oakland's 3rd-worst infield on the slate today), Nathaniel Lowe has a very favorable matchup given his extreme groundball tendencies.

• This player's skill set matches up well with the opposing team's defensive weakness, which may lead to better-than-usual performance.

It may be best to expect improved performance for the Texas Rangers offense the rest of the season, considering that the leading projection system (THE BAT X) sees them as the 2nd-unluckiest offense in the league this year.

• When teams underperform their projected talent level, markets may undervalue them even while they are likely to perform better in the near future.

Game Trends

• The Texas Rangers have hit the Game Total Under in 41 of their last 62 games at home (+20.35 Units / 30% ROI)
• The Oakland Athletics have hit the Run Line in 31 of their last 49 games (+10.60 Units / 16% ROI)
• Lawrence Butler has hit the Hits Over in 32 of his last 44 games (+9.45 Units / 12% ROI)

Oakland Athletics vs Texas Rangers Prediction

Final Score: Oakland Athletics 4.02 vs Texas Rangers 4.73

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