In this article we will formulate an Oakland Athletics vs Texas Rangers prediction for this MLB double header on Wednesday, May 8th at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game three in the series.
Oakland Tries to Avoid Sweep
The Oakland Athletics are 17-20 this season and they have lost three games in a row. Oakland has lost the first two games in this series and they have allowed 19 runs in the process. Prior to this series, the Athletics won two out of three against Miami, swept the Pirates in three games, and won two out of three against Baltimore. Oakland has been much improved from last season, especially with their pitching staff, and they are currently third in the AL West behind the Rangers and Mariners.
The Oakland pitching staff has a 4.10 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and a .248 opponent batting average. The Athletics offense has scored 134 runs with a .214 batting average and a .291 on base percentage. JJ Bleday is batting .248 with four home runs and 13 RBI’s for the Athletics this season. Oakland is still having issues scoring runs this season, but they have shown some improvement recently and have scored at least four runs in seven of their last nine games.
Rangers are Surging
The Texas Rangers are 21-16 this year and they have four games in a row. Texas has won the first two games in this series by scores of 4-2 and 15-8 on Monday and Tuesday. Prior to this series, the Rangers won two out of three against the Royals, Nationals, and Reds. Texas has won seven of their last nine games and they are leading the AL West by a half game over the Seattle Mariners.
The Texas pitching staff has a 3.70 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and a .214 opponent batting average. The Rangers offense has scored 183 runs with a .254 batting average and a .323 on base percentage. Marcus Semien is batting .266 with six home runs and 27 RBI’s for the Rangers this season. Texas is one of the highest scoring teams in the MLB so far this season and they have scored 37 runs in their last four games.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Texas is Michael Lorenzen, who is 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP over 23.0 innings pitched this year. Lorenzen has allowed three earned runs or fewer in three of his four starts so far this year, but did allow five earned runs to Cincinnati two starts ago. Lorenzen has pitched better on the road than at home. The projected starting pitcher for Oakland is JP Sears, who is 2-2 with a 3.89 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP over 39.1 innings pitched this season. Sears has allowed one earned run or fewer in four of his last five starts, but did allow seven earned runs to the Orioles two starts ago. Sears has allowed one earned run and six hits in his last two starts at home (11.1 IP).
Why the Oakland Athletics will win
- Probable Starting Pitcher: JP Sears Record this season: 2-2 ERA: 3.89
- The Rangers have lost five of their last six day games against AL West opponents.
- The Athletics have won six of their last eight day games following a loss.
- The Rangers have failed to cover the run line in four of their last five day games against teams that held a losing record.
- The Athletics have covered the run line in seven of their last nine day games against American League opponents following a loss.
Why the Texas Rangers will win
- Probable Starting Pitcher: Michael Lorenzen Record this season: 2-1 ERA: 3.52
- The Athletics have lost nine of their last 10 home games against American League opponents.
- The Rangers have won each of their last four games.
- The Athletics have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight home games against AL West opponents that held a winning record.
- The Rangers have covered the run line in seven of their last eight road games against AL West opponents following a win.
Total Runs Facts
- Seven of the Rangers’ last eight road games against AL West opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
- Five of the Athletics’ last six day games against AL West opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Rangers’ last five day games against American League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Athletics’ last eight Wednesday day games against AL West opponents.
Oakland Athletics vs Texas Rangers Prediction
Texas comes into this game swinging the bat very well and they have scored 15 runs in two of their last four games. The Rangers are 11-7 on the road and will have Michael Lorenzen on the mound, who has been solid. Oakland’s pitching has been pretty good so far this season, but they have not been at their best in this series. The A’s are going with JP Sears, who has been dominant in his last two home starts. I know we saw a ton of runs on Tuesday, but I think we see a lower scoring game here, with the Rangers getting the win in game one. In game two, it looks like we are going to see Jack Leiter vs Osvaldo Bido. Leiter was shelled by Detroit in his first start of his career, while Bido has been solid in Triple-A. Give me the Athletics to win game two.