Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers 8/14/21 - MLB Picks & Predictions

On Saturday, the Oakland Athletics play the second game of a three-game series on the road against the Texas Rangers. Oakland is 67-48 following a 17-0 rout of the Cleveland Indians on Thursday. Mitch Moreland hit a pair of home runs and Chris Bassitt earned his 12th win, which leads the American League. Oakland has won seven straight and the Athletics are second in the American League West 1 ½ games behind first place Houston.

Matt Olson is batting .283 to lead Oakland and the first baseman has 28 home runs, 76 RBIs and 112 hits to lead the A’s in those three categories. Left fielder Mark Canha is the leader in on-base percentage at .379. On Saturday, the Oakland Athletics will hand the ball to James Kaprielian. The right-hander is 6-4 with an ERA of 3.22, 83 Ks and 29 BBs.

The Texas Rangers are 40-75 following a 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday. Texas has lost two straight and eight of the last nine. The Rangers are last in the American League West 28 ½ games behind the first-place Houston Astros. Texas has struggled all season at the plate and has the worst team batting average in baseball at .221.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa is batting .258 to lead Texas and the third baseman has a team high 118 hits. Rookie right fielder Adolis Garcia is leading Texas in home runs with 25 and RBIs with 68, while Nathaniel Lowe is the leader in on-base percentage at .345. On Saturday, Texas will send Jordan Lyles to the mound. The right-hander is 5-9 with an ERA of 5.46, 100 Ks and 43 BBs.