Texas Rangers at Athletics

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
TEX	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	3	4	1
ATH	3	0	0	0	0	1	1	3	—	8	9	2

This series opener kicks off at 6:40 PM PT from Sutter Health Park, and the gap between these two clubs couldn't be more obvious. Texas is fighting tooth and nail for the third AL Wild Card spot with Cleveland, Detroit and Minnesota all breathing down its neck. Oakland is buried in the AL West basement and has looked like it during this stretch, getting outscored badly in three straight losses.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Rangers(60-61)

LLWLW

3

+4.5-104o11.5+203

Athletics(47-74)

LLLWW

8

-4.5+107u11.5-212

Best BetRangers -114

Pregame

Texas is fighting for a playoff spot and Oakland is a last-place team mid-collapse — that's a gap the market should be pricing correctly, and it usually does in spots like this. The Rangers have more up top even with their rotation banged up, and desperation teams playing out the string are a bad bet to trust at home right now.

The Rangers' rotation has taken real hits lately. Nathan Eovaldi landed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation, Jack Leiter has been out since early August with an ankle issue, and Jakob Junis is still working back from an adductor strain. That's a lot of swapped-in arms for a team trying to hold a playoff line, and it puts more pressure on whoever Texas trots out on a given night.

Kumar Rocker

(4-10)·4.46 ERA

Aug 9 vs Orioles

L

3.0IP

6ER

5K

2BB

69P

08/14 Lineup

Gage Jump

(5-8)·4.83 ERA

Aug 8 @ Red Sox

W

6.0IP

2ER

11K

2BB

100P

08/14 Lineup

Oakland's not much healthier. Nick Kurtz is stuck in a brace for three more weeks after a thumb procedure, Shea Langeliers just had knee surgery, and Brent Rooker is done for the year after tearing cartilage in his knee. That's the middle of the order gutted for a team that was already 47-74 walking into this weekend.

Texas snapped a 10-inning drought at Angel Stadium for its first win there all season before dropping the finale, and the Rangers also split a short set with Baltimore, taking one of the last two. It's not a hot streak, but it's a team still finding ways to win close ones, which matters more than ever with the Wild Card race this tight.

Texas Rangers

(60-61)

Aug 13L@ Angels2-5

Aug 12L@ Angels2-3

Aug 11W@ Angels4-1

Aug 9Lvs Orioles5-10

Aug 8Wvs Orioles5-1

Athletics

(47-74)

Aug 12Lvs Rays4-8

Aug 12Lvs Rays4-12

Aug 11Lvs Rays6-10

Aug 9W@ Red Sox4-3

Aug 8W@ Red Sox7-3

The Athletics, meanwhile, have been getting run out of their own building. Sutter Health Park has turned into a house of horrors this month, with Oakland dropping blowout after blowout at home even while it managed to take two from Boston on the road right before this funk started. There's just not enough pitching depth to hold a lineup like Texas's down over a full series.

Texas Rangers

(11)

• 10-Day-ILJosh Jung (3B) — Jung (calf) hasn't participated in baseball activities in over a week, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.08/10
• 10-Day-ILKyle Higashioka (C) — Higashioka is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.07/21
• 15-Day-ILJakob Junis (RP) — Junis (adductor) completed a bullpen session Tuesday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.08/12
• 15-Day-ILNathan Eovaldi (SP) — The Rangers placed Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list Monday with right posterior elbow inflammation.08/10
• 60-Day-ILJack Leiter (SP) — Leiter (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.08/12
• 60-Day-ILDanny Jansen (C) — Jansen (forearm) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Tuesday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.08/09
• 60-Day-ILJose Corniell (RP) — The Rangers placed Corniell on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with an elbow injury, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/30
• 60-Day-ILJalen Beeks (RP) — The Rangers transferred Beeks (forearm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.07/21
• 60-Day-ILMichael Helman (CF) — Texas transferred Helman (hand) to the 60-day injured list Friday.06/19
• 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia (RP) — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.06/01
• 60-Day-ILCarter Baumler (RP) — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.05/23

Athletics

(12)

• 10-Day-ILNick Kurtz (1B) — Kurtz (thumb) is set to spend three more weeks in a brace after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection last Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.08/12
• 10-Day-ILShea Langeliers (C) — The Athletics announced that Langeliers underwent a successful medial meniscectomy Tuesday in Los Angeles and also received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his right knee, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/28
• 10-Day-ILJoshua Kuroda-Grauer (3B) — Kuroda-Grauer was diagnosed with a testicular contusion after exiting Monday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/21
• 15-Day-ILJose Suarez (RP) — Suarez will serve as the Athletics' opening pitcher during Thursday's game against the Tigers, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.08/12
• 15-Day-ILJustin Sterner (RP) — Sterner will see a knee specialist at Stanford this week, per MLB.com.08/12
• 15-Day-ILJeffrey Springs (SP) — Springs (hip) was able to restart a throwing program Wednesday after landing on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, MLB.com reports.08/06
• 60-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. (RP) — Leiter will undergo surgery Tuesday to address a right hip impingement and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/30
• 60-Day-ILLuis Severino (SP) — Severino (shoulder) began a throwing progression Saturday, per MLB.com.07/28
• 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke (CF) — Manager Mark Kotsay said Saturday that Clarke (hamstring) is nearing a rehab assignment, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/19
• 60-Day-ILBrent Rooker (DH) — Rooker will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske (RP) — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.06/16
• 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund (SP) — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.05/20

Texas still has real problems of its own — outscored on the season, a rotation stitched together with replacement parts — but a fringe contender playing a last-place team desperate to stop the bleeding is a spot the Rangers should be circling. Winning this series is the kind of thing that keeps a Wild Card hope alive into September.