The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers will resume their AL West rivalry on Friday at Globe Life Field. First pitch is at 8:05 p.m. ET. The Rangers are heavy moneyline favorites and the game total is eight.
Oakland (3-16 SU and 7-12 RL) has lost seven straight games and 13 of its last 14 overall. The A's are looking for a quality start from left-hander JP Sears (0-1 with a 4.60 ERA in three previous starts) on Friday in Arlington.
Texas (12-6 SU and 11-7 RL) has won four consecutive games and eight of its last ten overall. The Rangers are starting right-hander Jon Gray (1-1 with a 3.21 ERA in three previous starts) tomorrow evening.
The Athletics are headed to Las Vegas after signing a binding agreement to purchase a Vegas ballpark site, the team announced earlier today. While it will be the end of an era — the A's have been in Oakland since 1968 — the team should draw a more faithful following in Sin City.
The A's score 3.42 runs per game (27th) and hit .225 (27th) with a .649 OPS (28th). They've hit 16 home runs (25th) and stolen 19 bases (8th) this year. Left fielder Brent Rooker (questionable Friday) leads the team with four long balls and center fielder Esteury Ruiz paces the club in batting average (.302) and on-base percentage (.389). The Oakland pitching staff has posted a 7.71 ERA (30th) and a 1.72 WHIP (30th) with three quality starts.
Everybody, b?a?c?k?s?t?r?e?e?t? Jordan Diaz is back ?? pic.twitt er.com/zkzeJ0WyxH
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) April 19, 2023
27-year-old JP Sears takes the mound tomorrow in the series opener. He's coming off a solid outing against the New York Mets (two earned runs on four hits in six innings) and has surrendered three or fewer runs in each of his outings. The lefty split time with the New York Yankees and Athletics last year, posting a 3.86 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in 17 appearances (11 starts). This is just his second big league season.