- What: MLB Regular Season Game
- When: Sunday, September 1st
- Who: Oakland Athletics vs. Texas Rangers
- Time: 2:35 p.m. ET
- Where: Globe Life Field (Arlington, TX)
The Oakland Athletics are set to play against the Texas Rangers in the last game of their three-game series on Sunday at 2:35 p.m. ET.
The Athletics are the underdogs on the road with odds of +110, while the Rangers have odds of -130.
The Texas Rangers will have Walter Pennington as the scheduled starter, and the Oakland Athletics will have Mitch Spence (7-9) on the mound.
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics overall record is 59-77, which places them in fourth place in the AL West. They trail the division-leading Astros by 15 games and have a 17-21 record against other AL West teams.
The Athletics have a record of 26-42 when playing as the road team. As favorites, the Athletics have a strong 11-4 record, but as underdogs, they have struggled with a 48-73 record this season.
Their overall series record stands at 16-22-4, and they have won their last three series on the road. The team holds a 5-5 record in their last 10 games.
The Oakland Athletics will face the Texas Rangers on the road, and the over/under line is set at 9 runs. Their combined run average for the season is 8.7, and their over/under record is 61-73.
When the over/under line is set at 9 runs, their record is 9-8-1. Only 8.8% of their games this season have had over/under lines set at 9 runs, with 77.9% of their games having lower lines.
Another Lawng ball!! pic.twitter.com/TlPxEeCkbc
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 31, 2024
With a record of 7-9 this season, Mitch Spence is looking to build off his last outing, where he gave up just one earned run in 5 1/3 innings of work. He has made 18 starts this season, with an ERA of 4.54 and a WHIP of 1.34.
He has recorded three quality starts this year, averaging 7.44 strikeouts per nine innings. In his 14 road appearances, Spence has a record of 3-4 and an ERA of 7.13.
The Athletics are averaging 4.1 runs per game, placing them 25th in the league. However, they have shown strength in hitting home runs and are near the top of the league in isolated power. As a team, they are batting .233 and near the bottom of the league regarding strikeouts.
Lawrence Butler has been in impressive form recently, going 13/34 with seven homers and 12 RBIs over the team’s last eight games.
This has helped him move into the team’s home run lead with 23 homers. Brent Rooker has also been performing well, as evidenced by his four-game hitting streak and a season batting average of .289.
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers are scheduled to face the Oakland Athletics today. The Rangers currently hold a 64-72 overall record, which places them in third place in the AL West, trailing the Astros by 10.0 games.
Their record in divisional matchups is 15-19. While the Rangers have demonstrated strength at home with a 35-32 record, their performance on the road has been less impressive, at 29-40.
When considered the favorite, the Rangers have a 43-32 record, but as the underdog, they are 21-40. Their overall series record is 17-24-1, and they are currently tied in their series against the Athletics. Over their last 10 games, the Rangers have secured 6 wins and suffered 4 losses.
With an over/under line of 9 runs, the game between the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics is expected to exceed their season average of 8.6 runs per game.
For the series. #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/g9g3fEIKUi
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 1, 2024
The Rangers’ over/under record for the season is 59-72, and the average over/under line in their games is 8 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 9 runs, the Rangers have gone 8-13-2. Notably, only 14.0% of their games have featured over/under lines set at 9 runs, with the majority having lower lines.
Left-hander Walter Pennington is set to start for the Rangers today against the Athletics. With a current record of 0-0 and an ERA of 3.00, Pennington has made eight appearances this season without a loss, finishing with a no-decision in each outing.
In his most recent appearance on August 30th, he pitched out of the bullpen, giving up one hit and issuing two walks in one-third of an inning. Pennington has allowed at least one walk throughout his last four outings, bringing his WHIP for the season to 1.89.
Corey Seager has been delivering strong performances for the Rangers, going 7 for 18 in his last four games with a home run and three RBIs.
Seager leads the team in home runs this season with 30, ranking 6th in the MLB. His overall batting average is .275, the highest on the team.
Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien are also prominent in the Rangers’ home run leaderboard, with 21 and 18 home runs, respectively.
However, Garcia’s batting average is .221, while Semien’s is .238. Nathaniel Lowe and Carson Kelly both enter the game on five-game hitting streaks.
A’s-Rangers Best Bet
The A’s late game collapse yesterday will be tough for the team to recover from. The Rangers needed that win to get out of their slump.
In the series finale I’m going to pick the Rangers on the moneyline because I believe they have the momentum now.
Take the Rangers to win this one going away.
Will the A’s road win streak come to an end against the Rangers?
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
