Sport DFW's Best Dallas Betting Picks for 8/9 (Trio of Rangers Bets)
The Rangers are rolling in August and have already gone up 2-0 in their current series against the Athletics. Our editors are riding this train with a trio of bets to target on Wednesday.
With that in mind, here is Sport DFW's best Dallas betting picks for Aug. 9.
Dallas Best Bets: August 9, 2023
Tyler Maher: Rangers Runline vs. Athletics
There’s not too much analysis we need to go into with such a lopsided matchup like this one.
The Rangers are still undefeated in August after taking the first two games of this series, covering the runline in both contests. The A’s remain the worst team in baseball and officially clinched a losing record with last night’s 6-1 loss to Texas.
Today we go for the sweep behind Jordan Montgomery, who’s coming off a win and a quality start in his Rangers debut last week. So far, so good from the veteran left-hander.
Meanwhile, Oakland is mixing things up by going with an opener today. Austin Pruitt kicks things off with his 2-6 record, 3.35 ERA and 4.32 FIP, so there’s not a ton to fear there.
Fortunately for us, the A’s have the worst bullpen in baseball with a 5.51 ERA, so their strategy seems doomed to fail, especially against our No. 1 offense. Expect another productive day from the bats and a quality start from Montgomery, resulting in an easy win.
Jason Schandl: Nathaniel Lowe to Hit HR
The Athletics will go with an opener in Austin Pruitt on the mound early tonight. His 3.35 ERA looks good, but his advanced stats show he’s not pitching any better than he has in the past to earn a career-average 4.51 ERA. In fact, his xFIP (5.09) is actually higher than his career average (4.42), and we see the same in his SIERA (4.81 in 2023 vs. 4.25 career).
So how can bettors take advantage? How about with someone who will get an early crack at Pruitt.
Nathaniel Lowe has exploited right-handed pitchers for a 36.0% hard-hit rate and 33.0% fly-ball rate on the year, going yard 10 times with a respectable .195 ISO in the split.
This is a bit of a gamble because of his potential to struggle if a southpaw comes out of the pen, but it’s also not hard to envision the A’s going with a righty against the Rangers’ righty-heavy lineup.
The A’s bullpen is also one of only four units in the majors allowed a collective fly-ball rate north of 40%, and their 62 home runs allowed are tops in the majors.
Lowe should have plenty of opportunities to send one deep this afternoon, and 5-to-1 odds are too good to pass up.
Isaiah De Los Santos: Jordan Montgomery Strikeouts OVER
Jordan Montgomery started his Rangers tenure off on a great note with a win in his debut. On the bump once again, I think the good times continue to roll.
Montgomery showed no struggles adjusting to a new environment in his first start for Texas. He handled a dangerous Marlins lineup with ease, allowing just two earned runs and posting six strikeouts across 6.0 innings – while needing just 80 pitches.
Now he gets to face an Athletics offense that’s one of MLB’s worst. Aside from being dead-last in runs scored this season, Oakland also ranks No. 7 in most strikeouts per game.
The Athletics racked up 11 K’s in the first game of this series, and Max Scherzer had no troubles getting six K’s in Game 2. With the Athletics struggling to put pressure on opposing pitchers, I can see Montgomery controlling this matchup. I like backing his strikeout over today.