It has not been an amazing 72 hours for the Rangers or their fans.
Texas started a four-game series against the lowly Angels on Monday with a win. At the time, the team was nestled in the final Wild Card spot in the American League, and was within striking distance of the Astros in the AL West. Things were good.
However, the Rangers then dropped three in a row to Los Angeles, including a 7-0 loss on Thursday where Jacob deGrom exited early due to arm fatigue. Insert the “this is fine” GIF right here.
Can Texas get back on track in Sacramento? Let’s preview this divisional clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Rangers vs. Athletics prediction, preview
There’s not a lot to get excited about with the Athletics at the moment. The team is 27 games below .500, and both Nick Kurtz (thumb) and Shea Langeliers (knee) are likely done playing for the season. Still, if there is a small glimmer or hope, it might be Gage Jump. The rookie is having a relatively “meh” campaign according to a 4.46 ERA, but don’t let yourself get fooled by surface statistics. Not only has Jump maintained a 3.51 FIP and a 26.7% strikeout rate across his 14 MLB outings, but he’s definitely been penalized by having to pitch his home games at Sutter Health Park, where he owns an inflated 6.16 ERA. Last Saturday, Jump struck out 11 in a stunning six-inning performance at Fenway. The kid is legit.
Unfortunately for the young southpaw, Friday’s tilt is in Sacramento. It’s also against the Rangers, who have had much more success hitting LHPs than RHPs so far in 2026. In fact, Texas’ .326 wOBA and 109 wRC+ within the split are both top five marks in all of baseball. That said, the Rangers are ice cold in the month of August, slashing a putrid .214/.291/.322 with a .265 expected wOBA that sits 29th in MLB. Recency bias and Jump’s obvious skill might prove to be the more important factors.
Taking the mound for Texas this evening will be Kumar Rocker. It’s somewhat ironic that I really don’t have too much of an opinion on Rocker at this point of the season. This is a man who set the world on fire at Vanderbilt, then was the talk of the 2022 MLB Draft after being taken third-overall seemingly out of nowhere. He’s supposed to be exciting! …but he’s not. Rocker has a 4.46 ERA and a 4.31 FIP over 111.0 innings. He’s walked exactly two batters in each of his past five starts. He strikes out about five opponents every time he toes the rubber. He’s boring. He’s a fifth starter. It’s not even like his Baseball Savant page is all that red or blue. It’s grey. He’s basically 50th percentile in everything. That’s all I can really say.
Ranger vs. Athletics pick, best bet
Best Bet: Under 9.5 (-115)
I don’t normally love taking an under at Sutter Health Park, but neither of these clubs has a wRC+ above 80 in the month of August. I’m just not sure where the runs are coming from, and while he’s struggled at home, Gage Jump is legitimately good.
Strong Lean: Gage Jump 7+ Strikeouts (+132)
Jump’s struck out 84 batters in his 72.2 innings of work with the A’s. He’s also exceeded or matched this prop in four of his last six starts. Meanwhile, the Rangers own a 24.6% strikeout rate since the All-Star break — the eighth-highest mark in the league.
