MLB Betting: Texas Rangers Draw the Chalk in Rubber Game Versus A's
Having split the first two games, both pitchers duels, the Rangers and Athletics square off in the three-game finale on Thursday with CJ Wilson taking on Vin Mazzaro.
The top two teams in baseball's AL West division will meet Thursday night, and neither one of them is named the Angels. Instead, the Texas Rangers will host the Oakland Athletics in the rubber game of their three-game series. The Rangers own a 7.5-game lead over the A's, the largest of any division.
It's the ninth battle between the two clubs this season with the first eight results split down the middle, 4-4. Oakland won Wednesday's pitchers duel, 3-1, with Texas carrying 155 chalk into the contest. Trevor Cahill tossed 2-hit ball over eight innings and Kurt Suzuki broke a scoreless tie in the sixth with a home run to lead the A's.
Texas opened the series with a 3-1 win in 10 innings. Nelson Cruz swatted a walk-off homer to give the Rangers the victory and help their backers who laid big 230 chalk on the game.
There will once again be good-sized chalk on Texas for the finale. Baseball odds started with the Ranger minus 185 at Pinnacle to as high as 200 chalk at Bookmaker.com. The scoreboard number started at 8½ with the 'over' costing a little extra.
Oakland's Vin Mazzaro (6-4, 3.45) will be making his 11th start of the season to go with three relief outings since being called up in early May. The former third-round pick faced the Rangers in his season debut on May 4, working the first three innings of an eventual 7-6 Oakland home win with the A's small plus 105 dogs in the game. Mazzaro served up a slam to Vlad Guerrero in the game to account for all four runs he was charged with in his only experience against Texas to date.
Opposing Mazzaro will be Rangers southpaw C.J. Wilson (14-6, 3.03). To say Wilson has made a smooth transition from the bullpen to the job of a major league starting pitcher would be an understatement. All but six of his career 258 mound appearances before this season came as a reliever.
Wilson is coming off an eight-inning scoreless effort against the Angels last Friday here in Arlington, a game Texas won 1-0 as 180 favorites. The Rangers have brought home the bacon in eight of his last 10 starts.
Back on May 13, Wilson hurled seven, 4-hit innings against the A's and took a no-decision in the 12-inning, 2-1 Texas win. Wilson faced Ben Sheets in that contest that went off with the Rangers laying 185 chalk.
Doug Eddings has the job of calling the pitches for the contest. The 11-year vet brings a 10-4 mark on home favorites into the match with the 'under' holding a slight 10-8-3 advantage, 3-2 when it closes at 8½.
Thursday's weather forecast looks good, though on the warm side. The thermometer should still be in the mid-to-upper 80s at first pitch with SSW winds at 5-10 mph (1B on-deck circle out to center, left-center).
Both teams head to the airport after the game with the A's heading north from the Lone Star State to Second City for a weekend set with the White Sox. Texas will head west on a nine-game jaunt through the division. First up will be three in Anaheim against the Angels. Friday's series opener pits Scott Feldman of the Rangers (9-11, 5.46) opposite the Halos' Ervin Santana (11-9, 3.55). The Rangers will be in Seattle to begin next week and then Oakland the following weekend for a rematch with the Athletics.
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
Having split the first two games, both pitchers duels, the Rangers and Athletics square off in the three-game finale on Thursday with CJ Wilson taking on Vin Mazzaro.
The top two teams in baseball's AL West division will meet Thursday night, and neither one of them is named the Angels. Instead, the Texas Rangers will host the Oakland Athletics in the rubber game of their three-game series. The Rangers own a 7.5-game lead over the A's, the largest of any division.
It's the ninth battle between the two clubs this season with the first eight results split down the middle, 4-4. Oakland won Wednesday's pitchers duel, 3-1, with Texas carrying 155 chalk into the contest. Trevor Cahill tossed 2-hit ball over eight innings and Kurt Suzuki broke a scoreless tie in the sixth with a home run to lead the A's.
Texas opened the series with a 3-1 win in 10 innings. Nelson Cruz swatted a walk-off homer to give the Rangers the victory and help their backers who laid big 230 chalk on the game.
There will once again be good-sized chalk on Texas for the finale. Baseball odds started with the Ranger minus 185 at Pinnacle to as high as 200 chalk at Bookmaker.com. The scoreboard number started at 8½ with the 'over' costing a little extra.
Oakland's Vin Mazzaro (6-4, 3.45) will be making his 11th start of the season to go with three relief outings since being called up in early May. The former third-round pick faced the Rangers in his season debut on May 4, working the first three innings of an eventual 7-6 Oakland home win with the A's small plus 105 dogs in the game. Mazzaro served up a slam to Vlad Guerrero in the game to account for all four runs he was charged with in his only experience against Texas to date.
Opposing Mazzaro will be Rangers southpaw C.J. Wilson (14-6, 3.03). To say Wilson has made a smooth transition from the bullpen to the job of a major league starting pitcher would be an understatement. All but six of his career 258 mound appearances before this season came as a reliever.
Wilson is coming off an eight-inning scoreless effort against the Angels last Friday here in Arlington, a game Texas won 1-0 as 180 favorites. The Rangers have brought home the bacon in eight of his last 10 starts.
Back on May 13, Wilson hurled seven, 4-hit innings against the A's and took a no-decision in the 12-inning, 2-1 Texas win. Wilson faced Ben Sheets in that contest that went off with the Rangers laying 185 chalk.
Doug Eddings has the job of calling the pitches for the contest. The 11-year vet brings a 10-4 mark on home favorites into the match with the 'under' holding a slight 10-8-3 advantage, 3-2 when it closes at 8½.
Thursday's weather forecast looks good, though on the warm side. The thermometer should still be in the mid-to-upper 80s at first pitch with SSW winds at 5-10 mph (1B on-deck circle out to center, left-center).
Both teams head to the airport after the game with the A's heading north from the Lone Star State to Second City for a weekend set with the White Sox. Texas will head west on a nine-game jaunt through the division. First up will be three in Anaheim against the Angels. Friday's series opener pits Scott Feldman of the Rangers (9-11, 5.46) opposite the Halos' Ervin Santana (11-9, 3.55). The Rangers will be in Seattle to begin next week and then Oakland the following weekend for a rematch with the Athletics.
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
