The Oakland A’s realistically don’t have much chance of catching the Rangers in the American League West but they will try to get a baseball betting win vs. the Rangers. Winning for Oakland on the road vs. the MLB betting odds has not been easy and the Rangers have been very good at home this season.
Baseball betting odds at Sbgglobal indicate an interesting pitching matchup on Saturday. Dallas Braden gets the start for Oakland while Rich Harden goes for the Rangers. Braden had a no-hitter earlier this season while Harden and the Rangers nearly got one last time out against the Twins.
Dallas Braden: Braden has been solid lately going 4-2 with a 2.81 ERA since the All-Star break. He still has a losing record for the season at 8-9 but his ERA is solid at 3.49. He has not had much success against Texas in his career going 1-4 with a 4.15 ERA.
Rich Harden: The Rangers nearly got a combined no-hitter out of Harden and the bullpen on Monday against the Twins. Joe Mauer broke up the no-hit bid in the ninth inning. Harden was not around then as he went 6 2/3 innings with five walks and six strikeouts.
It was typical Harden as he threw a ton of pitches again. Harden can be very good for five or six innings and then it is up to the bullpen. He is 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA against his former team in two starts this year.
Season Series: The A’s have held their own against the Rangers in the season series. They took two of three vs. Texas in Oakland earlier this month. They have had far more success at home vs. the Rangers than on the road though. Oakland just doesn’t win that often on the road to make them worth taking.
Oakland can pitch as they are in the top five in the league in ERA but they simply can’t hit enough to win consistently vs. the MLB betting odds. An offense that is 24th in the league is simply not good enough to win, especially on the road.
The A’s are likely overmatched in this series against the Rangers who have a powerful offense and a pitching staff that is just about as good as Oakland’s.