Rangers vs Athletics Prediction & MLB Odds For Thursday, September 26th
Thursday’s matchup between the Rangers and Athletics has a first pitch set for 3:37 PM ET from Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA. The forecast for today’s game is clear skies and temperatures in the upper 50s. NSPCA will be televising today’s game.
The Athletics are 68-90 and will be looking to pull off the sweep, as they won the first two games of this series. However, they are the slight money line underdog for today’s game, with the Rangers sitting at -114. Today’s over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.
Betting Odds & Lines for this Game
- Spread: Rangers -1.5 (+145) | Athletics 1.5 (-177)
- Total: 8.5
- MoneyLine: Rangers -114 | Athletics -105
All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)
Rangers vs. Athletics Prediction: Moneyline
It was all Texas in the last game of this series, as the Rangers took down the Athletics by a score of 5-1. The Rangers offense only had two more hits than the A’s and struck out 14 times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were at +101 on the money line.
Oakland got on the board first with a run in the 2nd inning, but the Rangers responded with three runs in the 3rd and added two more in the 5th. As for the A’s, they were held in check after scoring their lone run in the 2nd.
Cody Bradford only went 3 2/3 innings for the Rangers but gave up just one hit and one earned run. He finished the game with four strikeouts but issued three walks. Matt Festa got the win out of the bullpen. Brady Basso had a rough outing for the A’s, giving up five runs in three innings of work.
Texas is 75-83 overall, and they are 10.5 games out of first place in the AL West. So far, they have gone 22-26 in divisional matchups. The Rangers are also 31-46 on the road this year. They have been better at home, going 44-37.
As the favorite, the Rangers have gone 49-37 this year and 26-46 when they are the underdog. The team they are facing today, the Athletics, are 17.5 games out of first place in the AL West. Texas has dropped three straight games as the favorite and are 20-28-1 in series this year. Currently, they are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
Oakland is 68-90 overall, putting them 4th in the AL West. Currently, they trail the Astros by 17.5 games. Heading into today’s game, they are 10.5 games behind the Rangers for 3rd place in the division. The Athletics are 3-7 over their last 10 games and are looking to bounce back after dropping the series finale vs. the Astros.
So far, the Athletics have gone 37-43 at home compared to 31-47 on the road. As the underdog, Oakland is 56-82 this season, and they are 12-8 as the favorite. The team’s overall series record is 19-25-5, and they have dropped two straight series at home.
Rangers vs. Athletics Prediction: Over/Under
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs is slightly higher than the average line for Texas this season, as their games have averaged 8.0 runs per game. The Rangers have played in 46 games with higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs, and their over/under record in those games is 26-29. Overall, Texas has a 75-78 over/under record this season.
Adolis García comes into the game as the Rangers’ leader in RBIs, but he has struggled with a batting average of just .223. However, he has gone 8/22 in his last five games with a home run. Corey Seager has been the team’s best hitter this season, batting .278 with 30 homers, which is 12th in the league. Marcus Semien is on a four-game hitting streak and is batting .235 for the season.
Overall, the Rangers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories, including team batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. As a team, the Rangers are 18th in home runs.
The Oakland Athletics are playing at home against the Texas Rangers today, with the over/under line set at 8.5 runs. The A’s have had an average combined run average of 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 75-81. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 18-25. Overall, 20.3% of their games this season have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.
As a team, the Athletics are averaging 4 runs per game, which is 26th in the league. They have been a little better in terms of home runs, as their 193 total is 8th in the league. The Athletics have a team batting average of .233, and they are also near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage and slugging.
Brent Rooker has been the Athletics’ top hitter this season, with a batting average of .296 and a league-leading 110 RBIs. He also has 38 home runs, which is 6th in the league. Shea Langeliers has also been swinging the bat well of late, hitting .310 over his last nine games, with three homers. For the season, he is batting just .223.
Rangers vs. Athletics Prediction: Spread
When the Rangers are on the road, they have a run line record of 33-44, and their average run differential is -1.1 runs per game. In games they win, they have an average run differential of +3.4 runs per game, while in losses, they have an average run differential of -3.8 runs per game. They have lost three straight games against the run line as the favorite.
Kumar Rocker and the Rangers are on the road to take on the Athletics. In his first start of the season, Rocker took a loss against the Blue Jays, but he bounced back with a strong outing vs. the Mariners, striking out 7 over 4 innings. He has given up 2 homers in his first 7 innings of the season.
When betting the run line, the A’s have been a better play on the road, where they are 43-35. They are 42-38 at home on the run line. They have been a better play as an underdog, going 78-60 on the run line, compared to just 7-13 as a favorite. Their average run margin for the season is -0.7 runs per game.
J.T. Ginn is getting the start for the Athletics today and comes into the game with a record of 0-1 and ERA of 4.39. He has made one quality start this year and is averaging 8.48 strikeouts per nine innings. Ginn’s last outing came against the Yankees, where he went five innings, giving up one earned run on four hits. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Overall, he has finished with a no-decision in three straight outings. Opponents are batting .274 off Ginn this year.
Rangers vs. Athletics Pick: Athletics ML -105
Our prediction for today’s Rangers vs. Athletics matchup is to take the Athletics on the money line at -105. We have the Athletics winning this one by a score of 5-4. Given the payout for an Athletics win, we see this as a great value pick.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have J.T. Ginn finishing with six strikeouts, which is good for fourth among today’s starters. As for Kumar Rocker, we have him finishing with five K’s, which is 10th.
