The last day of June brings 14 games around Major League Baseball, which means plenty of intriguing markets to choose from, so here are the best Texas Rangers vs. Oakland Athletics betting pick and odds, as these two American League West foes meet in the middle contest of a three-game series at Oakland Coliseum.
Texas and Oakland already played and split a four-game set at Globe Life Field in Arlington last week. Excluding their Tuesday’s opener in Oakland, the Athletics have won 14 of their previous 20 games against the Rangers, and according to William Hill Sportsbook, they open as a firm -190 home fave for Wednesday’s middle contest against Texas.
The Rangers swept the Royals to finally get things going
The Texas Rangers entered the Athletics series with a 30-48 record, sitting bottom of the AL West. At least, they’ve won five of their last seven games including those two victories to Oakland at home. The Rangers swept a three-game home set against Kansas City this past Sunday, but Texas has won only one of its previous 20 outings on the road.
Texas has recorded a solid .246/.320/.407 triple-slash in the last two weeks, scoring 57 runs on 99 hits through their last 12 games overall. On the other side of the ball, the Rangers have registered a 4.42 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in that 12-game stretch, as their pitching staff remains a big issue.
Kolby Allard will take the mound Wednesday, and the 23-year-old lefty was charged for a loss in a 5-1 defeat to Oakland this past Thursday. He yielded four earned runs on eight hits while punching out only one through six frames of work. Allard is now 2-3 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in five starts and ten relief appearances this season.
The A’s avoided a sweep in San Francisco to keep the pace with the Astros
The Oakland Athletics haven’t been at their best lately, losing six of their last nine games overall excluding Tuesday’s clash against the Rangers. They improved to 47-33 on the season last Sunday, avoiding a sweep in a three-game set at the Giants with a 6-2 victory, so the A’s were just 1.5 games behind the Houston Astros on Tuesday.
Oakland has recorded a mediocre 4.18 ERA in the last two weeks. The A’s went 6-6 in that span, scoring exactly five runs per game and slashing .244/.315/.383. They’ve hit just 13 homers and 15 doubles in the process, so tallying five runs per game seems impressive from this point of view.
Chris Bassitt will toe the slab Wednesday, and the 32-year-old righty tossed seven innings in that 5-1 win over Kolby Allard and the Rangers. He’s 8-2 on the season, sporting a solid 3.25 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 102/26 K/BB ratio across 99.2 frames of work.
Trends:
Texas:
- 6-14 in the last 20 games against Oakland
- 1-19 in the last 20 games on the road
Oakland:
- 7-1 in the last eight home games against Texas
- 9-4 in the last 13 games against the American League
Texas Rangers vs. Oakland Athletics Picks:
Kolby Allard is 0-3 with a terrible 8.76 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in three career starts against Oakland, so I’m backing the hosts to satisfy the odds here. The Athletics are 21-11 against the left-handed starting pitchers in 2021, slashing .240/.319/.410 in 935 at-bats in the process. Furthermore, the Rangers bullpen owns the fourth-highest ERA in baseball in June (5.50).
On the other side, Chris Bassitt is 3-2 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in six career starts and four relief appearances against Texas. He’s been terrific for most of the 2021 season, so I’m looking for another strong performance.
Bassitt hasn’t been charged for a loss since his second start of the season. The A’s are 3-1 in his last four starts, and the righty hasn’t allowed more than a couple of runs in that stretch.
v: Take Oakland Athletics at -190
Texas Rangers vs. Oakland Athletics Total:
Considering some recent pitching woes on both sides, I’ll opt with the over on the totals. The Rangers struggled against Chris Bassitt last week, though they recorded five hits and three walks, while the A’s relievers registered a pedestrian 4.88 ERA in June.
Last week, two of four encounters between Texas and Oakland went in the over. Through a four-game set, the A’s outscored the Rangers by four runs (24-20).
Pick: Go over 8.5 runs at -115