PREMIUM
**5-0 SWEEP SUNDAY** >> Rogers' 10* Coach's Clinic
(MLB) Texas vs. Oakland,
Money Line: -140.00 Oakland (Home)
Result: Win
Money Line: -140.00 Oakland (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: AL West Rivals Texas and Oakland will get together for a four-game series starting Monday night in Oakland. The Rangers lost three of four at home to the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros to open the 2018 season, while the A's also dropped three of four at home to the Los Angeles Angels. Texas struggled offensively against the Astros' powerful pitching staff, scoring a total of just 11 runs in the four games. The A's split a pair of one-run decisions Thursday and Friday vs the Angels but then Oakland's pitching staff was 'lit up' in the final two games of the series, allowing 15 runs on 25 hits in back-to-back losses over the weekend.
The pitching matchup: The Ranger will turn to Bartolo Colon (2017: 7-14, 6.48 ERA), who will pitching for his 11th major league team. In contrast to the 44-year-old Colon, the Angels counter with the 29-year-old Andrew Triggs (2017: 5-6, 4.27 ERA), who has made just 36 ML appearances (18 starts) in parts of the last two seasons. Colon has 240 career wins and 2,454 strikeouts but he was pretty awful last year (see above), after earning 14 victories in four straight seasons. Colon is 9-6 with 3.41 ERA in 21 career appearances (20 starts) against the Athletics. Triggs went 4-1 with a 1.84 ERA in April last season but struggled after that while allowing 68 hits in 65 1/3 innings in 12 starts overall, before undergoing season-ending hip surgery in July.
The pick: These two teams were overshadowed during the season's opening week, Texas by the defending champion Astros and Oakland by MLB's most popular newcomer, the Angels' Shohei Ohtani. Neither expect to compete with Houston for the AL West title plus neither figure to be serious wild card contenders, either. The Athletics won 11 of 19 meetings last season and on the season, were a solid 46-35 at home in 2017, going plus-$1309 vs. the moneyline. I believe Colon's done being able to get ML hitters out regularly, plus Triggs has been brilliant in his young career against the Rangers, having allowed just one ER and five hits in 12 2/3 innings (0.71 ERA) over three games, including two starts. Make Oakland a 10* play.
The pitching matchup: The Ranger will turn to Bartolo Colon (2017: 7-14, 6.48 ERA), who will pitching for his 11th major league team. In contrast to the 44-year-old Colon, the Angels counter with the 29-year-old Andrew Triggs (2017: 5-6, 4.27 ERA), who has made just 36 ML appearances (18 starts) in parts of the last two seasons. Colon has 240 career wins and 2,454 strikeouts but he was pretty awful last year (see above), after earning 14 victories in four straight seasons. Colon is 9-6 with 3.41 ERA in 21 career appearances (20 starts) against the Athletics. Triggs went 4-1 with a 1.84 ERA in April last season but struggled after that while allowing 68 hits in 65 1/3 innings in 12 starts overall, before undergoing season-ending hip surgery in July.
The pick: These two teams were overshadowed during the season's opening week, Texas by the defending champion Astros and Oakland by MLB's most popular newcomer, the Angels' Shohei Ohtani. Neither expect to compete with Houston for the AL West title plus neither figure to be serious wild card contenders, either. The Athletics won 11 of 19 meetings last season and on the season, were a solid 46-35 at home in 2017, going plus-$1309 vs. the moneyline. I believe Colon's done being able to get ML hitters out regularly, plus Triggs has been brilliant in his young career against the Rangers, having allowed just one ER and five hits in 12 2/3 innings (0.71 ERA) over three games, including two starts. Make Oakland a 10* play.
