Rangers Ballpark hosts an MLB battle between the Texas Rangers and the visiting Oakland Athletics on Thursday.

The Rangers will turn to Matt Harrison and his 4-3 record as they look for a win in this one, while the Athletics send Brandon McCarthy (3-3) to the hill.



View Oakland vs Texas Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Rangers as -180 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 9.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 1 (Rangers) and the No. 12 (Athletics) teams in their respective leagues, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Texas' No. 1 ranked American League offense (5.7 runs per game) against a Athletics defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 2 in the American League at 3.8 runs allowed per game. The Rangers have been averaging 10.4 hits per game, more than the Athletics have managed so far this season (7.3 hits on average).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Texas has the American League's No. 1-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Athletics own the American League's No. 2 mark in runs allowed.

Oakland lost its last outing, a 4-1 result against the Rangers on May 16. Bettors who backed the Rangers at -230 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Oakland didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 4-1 to Texas on Wednesday at Rangers Ballpark.




Oakland Athletics Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 10-0
Before playing San Francisco are 5-5
After playing Texas are 5-5
After a loss are 6-4

Texas Rangers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Houston are 7-3
After playing Oakland are 8-2
After a win are 3-7

A few Athletics at Rangers trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oakland's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 5 games when playing Texas
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Oakland's last 19 games when playing Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Oakland's last 22 games on the road
Texas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Oakland
Texas is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas' last 5 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Texas' last 10 games


Next up:
Oakland at San Francisco, Friday, May 18
Texas at Houston, Friday, May 18