The Rangers make the trip to Oakland to face the Athletics! The Rangers enter this game on a four-game winning streak, while the Athletics are on a two-game losing streak. These two teams are headed in opposite directions so far this season. Our MLB odds series has our Rangers-Athletics prediction, odds, and pick for Wednesday.

The Rangers have finally got things going with their title defense and have a 20-16 record, currently, and have won five out of their last six games and four in a row. They have a top 10 batting average in the MLB as a team and then they are just outside the top-10 in pitching as a team. This offense is led by sluggers Adolis Garcia, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Josh Smith. This offense is loaded and was the biggest reason why the Rangers won it all last year. Their pitching has started to play much better. Nathan Eovaldi has taken center stage on the mound this season, but Jon Gray and Dane Dunning have also been very good.

The Athletics have struggled this season and have been inconsistent on their way to a 17-19 record. They are on a current three-game losing streak. The Athletics have struggled behind the plate and their pitching has not been much better. JJ Bleday, Abraham Toro, Shea Langeliers, and Brent Rooker have been able to stand out on a struggling offense. On the mound, Paul Blackburn, JP Sears, and Ross Stripling have been varying levels of good for the Athletics. The Athletics are not the disaster they were last season, but they have not been able to find any inconsistency.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rangers-Athletics Odds

Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+120)

Moneyline: -124

Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-166)

Moneyline: +118

Over: 8 (-115)

Under: 8 (-105)

How to Watch Rangers vs. Athletics

Time: 6:37 pm ET

TV: Bally Sports Southwest / NBC Sports California

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Rangers Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Rangers are going with Jack Leiter to start on the mound and he has a 0-0 record, a 17.18 ERA, and a 3.00 WHIP. Through 3.2 innings this season, he has allowed seven runs on nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Leiter has only appeared in one game and the Rangers lost in his one season. This is his first season in the MLB and his first start was a learning curve. He gets a decent matchup against an Athletics team that has not had much success behind the plate.

The Rangers' offense has been nothing short of great to start the season. They are eighth in team batting average at .249 after finishing last season's top two in the MLB with a .263 batting average. The offense is led by Adolis Garcia, Marcus Semien, and Josh Smith in most batting categories. Smith leads the way in batting average at .300 and in OBP at .412. Garcia leads the way in home runs at eight and in RBI at 27. Semien then leads the way in total hits at 38. The Rangers' offense can match up with anyone in the MLB and they get a decent matchup against an inconsistent Athletics pitching staff.

Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Athletics are putting Osvaldo Bido on the mound for his first start on the season. Last season, Bido struggled during his brief time with the Pirates. He had a 2-5 record in 16 total game appearances. He also had a 5.86 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Bido needs to step up against a very good Rangers offense behind the plate. His appearance also means that there is a good chance a majority of the Athletics bullpen sees some time on the mound too.

The offense for the Athletics has been one of the worst in the MLB this season. They are 27th in the MLB in team batting average at .215 after having a team batting average of .223 last season which was worst in the MLB. Abraham Toro and Brent Rooker lead the way for the team in most batting categories. Toro leads in batting average at .287, in OBP at .339, and in total hits at 33. The Rangers are going to be a big issue for this struggling Athletics offense, even with Jack Leiter on the mound.

Final Rangers-Athletics Prediction & Pick

Jack Leiter and Osvaldo Bido are not going to impress much on the mound, but the Rangers are the better team and Leiter has talent still, despite struggling in his last time out. The key is that the Rangers are one of the best teams in the MLB behind the plate, while the Athletics have struggled a lot there. Expect the Rangers to win and cover on the road and keep their winning streak alive.

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Final Rangers-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+120)