Rangers vs Athletics Prediction
The Texas Rangers will travel to Oakland for the first of three games. The Athletics have had success this year and are 2nd in the Al West. Meanwhile, the Rangers have played poorly and are last in the same division. This first game will be exciting, so find out what my Rangers vs Athletics prediction is down below.
Oakland owns a 47-33 record and is just a measly 1.5 games back of the Houston Astros. They haven’t played their best baseball recently, going 4-6 in their last 10, but they won against the Giants Sunday night. The Athletics will be ready to face-off versus the Rangers and look to grab that first place.
The Texas Rangers have struggled mightily all year. They are currently riding a 3-game win streak with a sweep to the Royals. The numbers just haven’t been there for this team, and they are 17.5 games back of the Astros. The Rangers will most likely look to sell as the trade deadline approaches but still try and win some games.
Will the Oakland Athletics Have Enough To Win It All?
The Athletics seem to always be in the mix as the all-star break approaches. They have been so fundamentally sound over the past few years but haven’t had any great postseason runs to show for. This year, Matt Olson has been their best player leading in all major hitting categories for his team. The Athletics should have enough against the Rangers in Tuesday’s matchup.
Oakland previously played the Rangers less than a week ago, and the teams split 2-2. The Athletics are coming off of a series against the Giants, where they only won one of the three. Aramis Garcia and Matt Chapman were big contributors in the last game. Oakland’s lineup has not hit great over the past week, and he will want to change that coming back home.
The pitching for the Athletics ranks 13th in ERA and 10th in runs allowed. This has been able to win games for Oakland and carry their offense when they are struggling. James Kaprielian will be on the mound versus the Rangers. He owns an impressive 2.86 ERA and has a 4-1 record in 8 starts. I think Kaprielian will pitch well once again tonight.
The Rangers Need To Find Some Trading Partners
The Texas Rangers season did not go as planned. They have been better as of late, but it hasn’t gotten them any closer to playoff contention. Star outfielder Joey Gallo will certainly be up for grabs near the trade deadline, as the Rangers will most likely blow things up. But they will still try and win every game, especially against division opponent Oakland.
Fellow outfielder Adolis Garcia has also been exceptional this season with 20 home runs and a .279 average. He and Gallo drove in 3 of the 4 runs on Sunday afternoon to beat the Royals 4-1. The offense for the Rangers ranks 20th in runs, which isn’t terrible considering their record. The Rangers hitting needs to keep performing if they want to beat the Athletics.
Pitching has not been a strong suit for Texas. They are 22nd in runs allowed and 21st in ERA for the entire MLB. Mike Foltynewicz takes the bump and has a 5.40 ERA to go with a horrendous 1-7 record. I’m going to take the Oakland Athletics destroying Foltynewicz and the Rangers in this game with a score of 9-2.
