A big-time showdown in the AL West takes place on Tuesday night. The second-place Texas Rangers are just 3.5 games behind Houston for the division lead, but they face tough outs in the Oakland Athletics. Despite placing last in the division, the A’s have just enough talent on the field to give any opponent headaches. Read on as we break down this thrilling AL West matchup.
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Jesse Chavez (3-6, 2.52 ERA) was impressive in his last start, limiting San Diego to just one earned run (a homer) on three hits, walked one and struck out a career-high 11 batters in a 16-2 win on June 17 in Oakland.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Chavez hasn’t been too solid on the road with four of his six losses this season coming away from home. The A’s have lost Chavez’ last four road starts. But he could impress at Arlington, as he has limited Rangers hitters to a .197 batting average against him.
At the plate, leadoff hitter Billy Burns is swinging one hot bat. He’s 6 for 14 with two RBIs in his last three games. Burns and Sam Fuld each went 2 for 3 against Texas starter Chi Chi Gonzalez in a home victory on June 11. Stephen Vogt, who leads Oakland with 13 homers, a .294 batting average and 51 RBIs went 0 for 2 against Gonzalez in that game.
Oakland has another hot bat in Brett Lawrie. He went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI in a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Lawrie is 12 for 27 in his streak.
The A’s have won six of their last eight games.
Betting on the Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers have lost three of their last four, but they’re in perfect position to get one in the win column against Oakland. The Athletics own the worst road record (17-21) in AL West. The Rangers are also starting one of their best pitchers in Chi Chi Gonzalez (2-1, 0.90 ERA).
Gonzalez is on a tear to start his Major League career. He’s allowed just three earned runs in 30 innings over his first four major league starts. His lone loss came against Oakland after allowing one earned run on eight hits in seven innings of action. The Rangers went on to lose the game 7-0.
The Rangers don’t have the best of bullpens with their relievers combining for a 4.39 ERA, so having Gonzalez soak up the innings will be crucial. The rookie has proven that he can last deep into games, with a complete game three-hitter against Kansas City in June 5 and pitching 8.1 innings of a 3-2 win over the Dodgers on June 16.
Prince Fielder should be able to give Gonzalez some run support. Fielder leads the Rangers with 11 homers, a .340 batting average and 47 RBIs. He’s hit just 2 of 9 in his last three games, but is 4 of 7 lifetime against Oakland’s Chavez.
The Rangers have won eight of their last 10 at Globe Life Park.
Writer’s Prediction
The Rangers win behind a solid outing from Gonzalez. Create a betting account now and get some cash from daily baseball action.
