Oskeim Sports previews Monday’s MLB game between the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers. Oskeim recommends taking the Rangers as one of his free sports picks for July 23.
Oskeim also suggests taking the Baltimore Orioles at a very generous price as one of his free sports picks. Oskeim provides the best free sports picks on a daily basis so be sure to visit his Blog for more award-winning content!
If there is a game in this series that Texas can steal, it is tonight’s opener. I say that because the Rangers are a profitable 21-9 in Cole Hamels’ last thirty starts during game 1 of a series, while Oakland is 0-4 in Brett Anderson’s previous four road starts against the Rangers.
Hamels toes the rubber with a 4.36 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 4.11 xFIP in nineteen starts this season, together with an 8.97 K/9, 3.29 BB/9 and 43.7% hard contact rate.
The good news is that Hamels had a very good month of June wherein he posted a 3.34 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 3.96 xFIP across 32.1 innings of work, While Hamels has garnered a 10.50 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in July, a span covering 12.0 innings, he has been hampered by a .419 BABIP and 23.2% strand rate, both of which are products of variance and unsustainable.
In fact, the 34-year-old’s metrics have been extremely strong in his previous three outings – 3.24 FIP, 3.52 xFIP, 9.00 K/9, 2.25 BB/9 and a 50.0% groundball rate. Let’s also note that the veteran hurler has limited Oakland to three runs or fewer in each of his previous three starts. In two starts against the Rangers this season, Hamels is 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA with five walks and 16 strikeouts.
In contrast, Oakland left-hander Brett Anderson is 1-4 with a 5.78 ERA and 1.73 WHIP in eight career starts against the Rangers. In his last three trips to Arlington, Anderson has allowed a combined 10 earned runs in just 14 2/3 innings.
Anderson was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list July 8 and is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA in two starts since his return. However, the 30-year-old was 0-2 with a 7.63 ERA in four outings before landing on the disabled list on May 19 with a strained right shoulder.
Anderson owns a 6.08 ERA, 4.93 FIP and 4.94 xFIP in six starts this season after starting the season in Triple-A where he posted a 2.78 ERA, 2.11 FIP and 2.94 xFIP across 32.1 innings. Oakland is a money-burning 24-58 in its last 82 road games versus a left-handed starter, 4-9 in its previous thirteen trips to Arlington and 2-5 in Anderson’s last seven starts in this series.
With Texas standing at 30-12 with Hamels on the mound facing foes with a .410 or worse slugging percentage and 23-8 against teams with a .320 or worse on-base percentage, take the Rangers as one of Oskeim Sports’ free sports picks for Monday, July 23.
Oskeim Sports’ Free Sports Picks for Monday, July 23:
- Texas Rangers (-105) over Oakland Athletics
- Baltimore Orioles (+155) over Boston Red Sox
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