Interested in joining WagerTalk at the Westgate’s SuperContest Weekend in Las Vegas? Click here<\/a> to learn more about the activities (golf, basketball, handicapping panels and more) and the discounted room block as WagerTalk takes over Sin City in August.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Texas Rangers host the Oakland A’s in the third of a four-game series. Texas took game one Monday night and Oakland evened things up last night with a 5-1 win.<\/p>\n Tonight it’ll be right-hander Adam Oller starting for the Athletics against southpaw Cole Ragans for the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 PM EDT at Globe Life Field.<\/p>\n Both teams are out of playoff contention and are getting a better look at their younger talent. Both starters have spent a decent amount of time in the minors this year – Ragans more than Oller – and now get to display their talents in ‘the show.’<\/p>\n The A’s acquired Adam Oller last March from the Mets in the Chris Bassitt trade. He started the year in the rotation, but after four rough outings he was sent down to AAA Las Vegas then came back to the parent club in June and made five relief appearances. Then he was back in the starting rotation on July 17th and hasn’t pitched that badly.<\/p>\n In five starts since mid-July, he’s faced Houston three times, the White Sox and the Giants. Oller allowed four earned runs to Chicago and San Fran, but never allowed more than three earned runs to the Astros. While his season-long numbers aren’t that great, he’s in decent current form for a rookie pitcher.<\/p>\n Hitting has been Oakland’s main weakness – along with a lack of true big-league talent – this season. In the last 30 days versus southpaws the A’s are 25th in team OPS, and for the season this club is 29th in OPS and dead last in batting average at .215.<\/p>\n Rangers starter Cole Ragans has spent most of the season at AA Frisco and AAA Round Rock and put up solid numbers. In 18 starts and 94.1 innings, he’s posted a 3.04 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 113 strikeouts.<\/p>\n The southpaw’s control has been pretty good, as he’s allowed 31 walks and 10 home runs this year – which comes to three free passes and one long fly per nine innings.<\/p>\n His two major league starts were a mixed bag as he held the White Sox to three hits and no earned runs with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings on August 4th, then went 4.1 innings in Houston on August 11, giving up six runs, five earned runs, two home runs and walked three, with just one strikeout.<\/p>\n Texas hitting is about middle of the pack this year, tied for 15th in team OPS and 14th in team OPS versus right-handers the last 30 days. The long ball has been their calling card, with the 9th most home runs of any team in MLB.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This handicap is a little tricky as I’m not really sold on either starting pitcher. While Ollers has pitched better his last few games, he still has plenty of crooked numbers in the earned runs column and hasn’t had a lot of Ks. This will be Ragans third major league start, and even a poor hitting team like the A’s could do some damage against the southpaw.<\/p>\n While the Rangers are a free-swinging team that strikes out a lot, they also hit a lot of home runs. Oller has given up six long flies in his last five starts, so that’s a key stat to watch in this game. I think this will be a higher-scoring game, that’s why I’ll take the 1st 5 innings over 5 total runs scored.<\/p>\n Prediction: 1st 5 Innings Over 5 Total Runs Scored<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective. Join WagerTalk’s team of MLB betting experts every weekday at 1:45pm ET \/ 10:45am PT for First Pitch as we discuss the baseball betting slate.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n Wednesday, August 17<\/th>\n MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n Moneyline:<\/td>\n Texas Rangers -165 vs Oakland Athletics +140<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Runline:<\/td>\n Rangers -1.5 (+120) \/ Athletics +1.5 (-140)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Total:<\/td>\n 9 Runs (Over -110 \/ Under -110)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Game Time:<\/td>\n 8:05pm ET \/ 5:05pm PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Where:<\/td>\n Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Weather:<\/td>\n Retractable Roof<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Texas Rangers vs Oakland Athletics Analysis<\/h2>\n
Outlook on Oller is Positive<\/h3>\n
Ragans Inconsistent For Rangers<\/h3>\n
Texas Rangers vs Oakland Athletics Prediction<\/h2>\n
First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Wednesday, August 17<\/h3>\n
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