The 2021 MLB betting action goes on Friday, September 10, 2021, with 15 matchups on the card, including the AL West showdown from Oakland Coliseum, so here’s the best Rangers vs. Athletics betting pick.

Texas and Oakland open a three-game set, and the A’s lead the regular-season series 9-7. The hosts are firm -175 favorites for Friday’s clash, while the Rangers are +161 moneyline dogs with a total of 8.5 runs on Bovada Sportsbook.  

The Strangers are 7-3 over their last ten showings         

The Texas Rangers have been a disaster for most of the 2021 MLB season, but they’ve won seven of their last ten games at any location to improve to 51-88. The Rangers are rolling on a four-game winning streak following an 8-5 victory at Arizona this past Wednesday, as they clinched a two-game interleague series away from home.

Glenn Otto will get the starting call Friday, his third in the big leagues. The 25-year-old righty took a no-decision in each of his previous two starts against the Astros and Angels, allowing a couple of earned runs on four hits and a walk across 9.2 innings of work. Texas lost on both occasions, but its rookie did a solid job.

The Rangers will have to lean on their relievers Friday, as Otto won’t last more than five frames. Texas bullpen has had a lot of ups and downs in 2021, and in the last eight days, it has registered a 3.25 ERA and 4.11 FIP, allowing only 0.33 home runs per nine innings.

The A’s desperately need to stay on the winning path 

The Oakland Athletics are coming off a 3-1 home win to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon. They clinched a three-game set and improved to 76-64 on the season, but the A’s were still two and a half games behind the bottom wild card in the American League. Oakland has struggled a lot since mid-August, dropping 11 of their previous 17 games overall.

Through their eight outings so far this month, the A’s have registered the second-highest ERA in the majors (6.75) to go with a horrible .307 batting average against and a 1.62 WHIP. On the other side of the ball, they’ve recorded a mediocre .249/.307/.428 batting line.

Paul Blackburn will toe the slab Friday, and the 27-year-old right-hander is 0-2 with a 4.12 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in four starts this season. Last Saturday, he got pounded for four earned runs on nine hits across just 3.2 innings of work and took a loss in a 10-8 defeat at the Toronto Blue Jays.

Trends:

Texas:

  • 1-4 in the last five games at Oakland Coliseum

Oakland:

  • 6-2 in the last eight games against Texas 

Texas Rangers vs. Oakland Athletics Pick

The A’s are in a must-win situation. They’ll hopefully thrive under pressure and outlast the Rangers, as Oakland is certainly a much better team than Texas. Paul Blackburn struggled mightily last weekend, but he faced the Jays’ loaded lineup. This time around, he’ll have a much easier assignment, as the Rangers are slashing only .251/.305/.350 in September.

Oakland needs more from its pitching staff, but the A’s will have to score some runs, too. Their offense hasn’t been at its best lately, but the Rangers’ bats are among the worst in the league, so give me the hosts at moneyline odds. 

Pick: Take Oakland Athletics at -175 

The Total:

The Athletics bullpen has been a mess over the last few weeks. It has a horrible 10.36 ERA and 6.33 FIP in September, but this favorable matchup with the Rangers’ sloppy offense is a perfect opportunity for redemption.

I’ve mentioned the Rangers’ recent form at the dish. They own the second-lowest scoring offense in baseball, averaging 3.89 runs per game on a .230/.294/.376 triple-slash. This game is going in the under should the Rangers continue to slump offensively.

Pick: Go under 8.5 runs at -110