Rangers vs. Athletics Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, May 12, 2023

May 12, 2023, by Matt Rooney MLB Predictions

The Texas Rangers (23-14) visit the Oakland Athletics (8-31) at 9:40 PM ET Friday in a meeting between two of the league’s best hitters. Jonah Heim is batting .313 this year (10th in the league) for the favored Rangers (-168), while Brent Rooker ranks ninth in the majors with a .315 average for the underdog Athletics.

Martin Perez takes the mound for Texas while Ken Waldichuk is Oakland’s starter for the contest.

Rangers vs. Athletics Odds

Rangers odds to win: -168
Athletics odds to win: +143
Spread: Rangers -1.5
Total: 8.5 runs

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Game Time and Information

Date: Friday, May 12, 2023
Time: 9:40 PM ET
TV: NBCS-CA

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Who Will Win Rangers vs. Athletics?

Rangers and Athletics Betting Trends

The Rangers are 12-8 in games they were favored on the moneyline (winning 60% of those games).

Texas has gone 8-1 (winning 88.9% of its games) when playing as moneyline favorites of -168 or shorter.

The Athletics have been underdogs in 38 games this season and won eight (21.1%) of those contests.

Oakland has entered 27 games this season as the underdog by +143 or more and is 6-21 in those contests.

The Rangers have combined with opponents to hit the over on the total 21 times this season for a 21-15-1 record against the over/under.

The Athletics and their opponents have hit the over in 24 of their 39 games with a total this season.

Rangers Stats & Insights

The Rangers are the second-highest scoring team in baseball, averaging 6.2 runs per game (231 total).

Texas ranks eighth-best in MLB action with 48 total home runs.

The Rangers have the sixth-best batting average in the majors (.263).

Texas strikes out 9.2 times per game to rank 23rd in MLB.

The pitching staff for the Rangers has a collective 8.7 K/9, which ranks 14th in the majors.

Texas has the seventh-ranked team ERA among all MLB pitching staffs (3.60).

Athletics Stats & Insights

The Athletics are among the lowest scoring teams in the league, ranking 27th with just 147 total runs (3.8 per game) this season.

Oakland ranks 12th in Major League Baseball with 43 home runs.

The Athletics rank 27th in MLB with a team batting average of just .229.

Oakland ranks last in MLB in strikeouts per game with an average of 9.4 whiffs per contest.

The Athletics have a 7.5 K/9 this season as a pitching staff, which ranks 29th in baseball.

Oakland has pitched to a 7.34 ERA this season, which ranks 30th in baseball.

Rangers Key Players to Watch

Perez gets the start for the Rangers, his eighth of the season. He is 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings pitched.

Marcus Semien is batting .289 with seven home runs and 31 RBI for Texas this season.

Adolis Garcia is batting .245 this season with a team-high nine home runs and 36 RBI.

Heim leads Texas with a .313 batting average while slugging six homers and driving in 28 runs.

Nate Lowe has collected 38 hits this season and has an OBP of .333. He’s slugging .429 on the year.

Athletics Key Players to Watch

The Athletics will send Waldichuk (1-2) to the mound for his eighth start this season.

Rooker has a team-best batting average of .315, while pacing the Athletics in home runs (10) and runs batted in (26).

Esteury Ruiz has 10 doubles, a triple and four walks while batting .272.

Ryan Noda has eight doubles, a triple, three home runs and 27 walks while hitting .237.

Shea Langeliers is hitting .221 with two doubles, a triple, six home runs and nine walks.

Rangers and Athletics Injuries

Rangers: Travis Jankowski: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Corey Seager: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Mitch Garver: 10 Day IL (Knee), Jacob deGrom: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Spencer Howard: 60 Day IL (Lat), Brett Martin: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Jake Odorizzi: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Glenn Otto: 60 Day IL (Lat)

Athletics: Seth Brown: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Aledmys Díaz: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Trevor May: 15 Day IL (Personal), Adrian Martinez: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Mason Miller: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Paul Blackburn: 15 Day IL (Finger), Dany Jimenez: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Freddy Tarnok: 60 Day IL (Undisclosed), Kirby Snead: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Manny Piña: 60 Day IL (Wrist)