Rangers vs. Athletics Pick
Can the Oakland Athletics find a way to get on track when they host the Texas Rangers tonight at 10:05PM ET in an AL West rivalry game?
GAME SNAPSHOT
(921) Texas Rangers at (922) Oakland Athletics
Monday, April 2, 2018
Location: Oakland Coliseum – Oakland, California
Weather: Sunny, 61 degrees, 8mph winds
Time: 10:05PM ET
CURRENT ODDS
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the Athletics are favored at home tonight, as they are getting odds of -145 to win today. The Rangers are listed with a money line of +135 at home. The over/under total is currently listed at 9 runs.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Tonight’s pitching matchup features Bartolo Colon on the mound for Texas to face Andrew Triggs of the Athletics. Colon is making his debut with the Rangers. He started 28 games last season and had a 6.48 ERA with a 7-14 record. His WHIP was 1.59 and he had 89 strikeouts with 35 walks. Triggs was 5-6 over 12 starts in 2017. He had a 4.27 ERA with a 1.33 WHIP. Triggs recorded 50 strikeouts with 19 walks.
Bet on MLB for Monday, April 2, 2018
PUBLIC BETTING INFORMATION
The public is backing the Athletics tonight. Oakland is getting 70 percent of the wagers for this game as the favorite against the Rangers.
KEY INJURIES
The Rangers have a lot of pitchers listed on the injury report for today’s game and outfield Delino DeShields is on the DL after suffering a fractured bone in his left hand. Oakland has nobody new on the injury list.
BETTING STRATEGIES
Oakland opened its season by dropping three of four games at home to the Angels. The Athletics put up 14 runs over the four games, but allowed 22. The Athletics are being led by Khris Davis and Matt Champman, who each have driven in four runs and have a home run.
Texas opened the season by losing three of four games at home to the Astros. The Rangers scored just 11 runs while allowing 22. Elvis Andrus has led the team at the plate so far with a .538 average, two doubles and two RBI. Adrian Beltre has a pair of doubles as well.
Oakland has won eight of its last 10 against the Rangers form last season and the home team has also won eight of 10 in the series. Neither team has a great starter on the mound, but I really don’t like Colon. While a beloved pitcher, he has far too great a WHIP and ERA to trust on the road. Oakland can still mash the ball, so I like the Athletics to light up Colon and cruise to a win.
MLB PREDICTIONS: OAKLAND ATHLETICS -145