Rangers vs. A’s: Picks, predictions, how to watch Saturday’s game

The Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics square off on Saturday with first pitch set for 9:07 p.m. ET. The game takes place at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland and will be available to watch on FS1. Taylor Hearn (4-6, 5.78 ERA) gets the starting call for the Rangers and the A’s will counter with James Kaprielian (1-5, 5.09 ERA).

Texas (42-50) kicked off its series with Oakland with a 5-4 loss in the opener as it attempts to navigate two paths to close out the season. The Rangers are eight games removed from the final wild card spot in the American League and could very well make a run with the expanded playoff format, should they choose to do so. Subsequently, manager Chris Woodward made it clear that the team will more than willingly give younger players such as Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith opportunities to lock down roles for 2023. The second game of this series against Oakland provides an opportunity for the Rangers to continue their path towards both goals.

Oakland (34-62) got the win on the field in the series opener and may have done the same outside the lines as well. The 5-4 victory over the Rangers saw both Cole Irvin and Ramon Laureano raise their respective trade value ahead of the August 2 deadline. Irvin struck out eight batters while allowing two runs and three hits in seven innings pitched on Friday. Laureano had a homer and an RBI at the plate to bump his totals to 10 homers and 22 RBIs on the season.

Rangers vs. A’s

Pitchers: Taylor Hearn vs. James Kaprielian
First pitch: 9:07 p.m. ET
Rangers local broadcast: Bally Sports Southwest
A’s local broadcast: NBC Sports California
Live stream: FS1, FOX Sports App

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Rangers -1.5 (+130)
Run total: 7.5
Moneyline odds: Rangers -135, Athletics +115

Moneyline pick: Rangers -135

With the lefty Hearn on the hill for the Rangers, it could spell trouble for an Athletics team that already has the future in mind. Oakland is 4-17 in its last 21 home games against a left-handed starter are just 6-21 in its last 27 games following a win. Texas’ strength with its bullpen should result in a win on Saturday.

Player prop pick: Corey Seager over 1.5 total bases (+150)

Seager went 1-4 at the plate in Friday’s loss but has history on his side heading into game two. In his last series against Oakland in mid-July Seager finished with three RBIs and two home runs. Should the Rangers notch a win, bet on Seager being one of the catalysts for the victory with a successful day at the plate.

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