The Texas Rangers are hosting a regular season party at Globe Life Field in Arlington, and they’ve invited the 53-83 Athletics to be the main entertainment. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 PM EDT on MLB.TV, where viewers can witness an Oakland squad that somehow boasts a superior .246 batting average over Texas’ .241, yet pairs it with a 5.41 team ERA that looks more like a high-temperature weather forecast. With outfield spark Denzel Clarke and reliever Brooks Kriske both parked on the 60-day injured list, the A's are running dangerously low on warm bodies and high on hope.
Texas will hand the ball to Jacob deGrom, who carries a 9-9 record and a 4.21 ERA that doesn't quite scream "cyborg" like the old days, though his 159 strikeouts in 130.1 innings prove he can still make hitters look silly. Oakland counters with left-hander Gage Jump, a man whose 1.46 WHIP suggests he enjoys the thrill of escape acts a little too much for his manager's blood pressure. Jump will try to navigate a Rangers lineup that has been sleepy but remains far more dangerous than his 4.69 ERA might comfortably allow. Head over to StreakChat to lock in your predictions and see if the A's can pull off a Texas-sized shocker.