The Oakland Athletics face off against the Texas Rangers on Sunday, August 15, to close down a three-game series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, so we bring you the best A’s vs. Rangers betting pick along with the latest odds update on Jazzsports Sportsbook.

The Rangers won the opener last Sunday, 8-6 as +146 home dogs, to snap their five-game losing streak against the Athletics. Texas was a +200 dog for Saturday’s middle contest that has been excluded from the analysis, and the Rangers are listed at +179 to win the closer.

Oakland holds the top wild card in the American League

The Oakland Athletics put an end to their seven-game win streak with that surprising defeat against Texas, dropping to 67-49 on the season. They were second in the AL West, two and a half games behind the Houston Astros, though Oakland held the top wild card, one game ahead of the Red Sox and three and a half games ahead of the Yankees.

The A’s need to get back on the right track after winning eight of their first ten games in August. They’ve registered a 3.10 ERA so far this month while scoring 69 runs on a .281/.383/.469 batting line.

Sean Manaea will toe the rubber Sunday, and the A’s need more from the 29-year-old left-hander, who’s yielded eight earned runs in his last two outings and six innings of work in total. Manaea is 8-7 with a solid 3.43 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 23 starts this season, but over his last seven showings, Sean has a 4.75 ERA.

The Rangers sit bottom of the AL West

The Texas Rangers improved to 41-75 following an 8-6 victory to the A’s. It was a rare strong performance at the plate, as the Rangers have recorded the worst OPS in the majors so far this month (.561) while batting just .196.

Since the All-Star break, it’s been a bumpy road for Texas. The Rangers have compiled a horrible .181/.239/.305 triple-slash while posting the fifth-highest ERA in the majors (5.66). At least, their bullpen has registered a decent 3.80 FIP and 3.91 ERA over the last couple of weeks.

Kolby Allard (2-10, 4.93 ERA) will take the mound Sunday, and he’s been charged for a loss in each of his three starts against the A’s in 2021, yielding 11 earned runs (six homers) across 18 innings of work. The 24-year-old southpaw is 0-5 with a 7.03 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in five career starts against Oakland. Over his previous six starts, Allard has gone 0-5 with an awful 7.71 ERA and a .291 batting average against.

Trends:

Oakland:

  • 10-3 in the last 13 games overall 
  • 5-1 in the last six games against Texas

Texas:

  • 6-20 in the last 26 games overall
  • 1-9 in Kolby Allard’s last ten starts

Oakland Athletics vs. Texas Rangers Pick

The current A’s are slashing .306/.398/.500 against Kolby Allard. The talented lefty has been solid over his previous two starts, but the Athletics obviously have his number, so I’m backing the visitors to win. The odds are not attractive, but the A’s won’t mind winning by a single run and make amends for a tough loss in the opening game of the series.

The Athletics’ relievers own the fourth-lowest ERA in the majors in August (2.08), but they allowed a couple of homers in the opener. This time, they should do a much better job against the arguably worst offense in the majors.

Pick: Take Oakland Athletics at -195

The Total:

I would stick with the visitors to win mostly because of the hosts’ toothless offense. Just three of the Rangers’ last 13 games overall saw more than nine runs on the scoreboard, and Texas scored more than three only twice over its previous ten outings.

The A’s, on the other side, are swinging a hot bat at the moment. The over has hit in seven of their last ten showings even though their pitching has been excellent during that span.

Pick: Go under 9.0 runs at -110