Athletics vs Texas Rangers Picks and Prediction for Monday August 31 2026

The Athletics travel to Globe Life Field to face the Texas Rangers on Monday night in Arlington, Texas. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 PM ET on August 31, with MLB.TV providing the coverage. The Athletics enter the matchup at 53-83 overall and 28-40 on the road, while Texas is 66-70 overall with a much stronger 36-29 record at home. Despite the difference in overall records, the Athletics lead the season series 6-4 through the first 10 meetings. ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives Texas a 61.5% chance to win compared with 38.5% for the Athletics. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Before placing any wagers on Monday's matchup, check out our free MLB picks for more baseball predictions and betting analysis.

Starting Pitchers

The Athletics are scheduled to start Gage Jump, who enters at 6-8 with a 4.69 ERA and 1.46 WHIP through 88.1 innings. Jump has allowed 87 hits while recording 97 strikeouts against 42 walks and has surrendered nine home runs. Texas counters with Jacob deGrom, who is 9-9 with a 4.21 ERA and 1.18 WHIP through 130.1 innings. DeGrom has allowed 117 hits while striking out 159 against only 37 walks and has surrendered 17 home runs. Texas has the statistical advantage in the starting matchup, particularly in WHIP, strikeout-to-walk production and overall workload.

Athletics Look to Continue Their Success Against Texas

The Athletics enter Monday at 53-83 and sit fourth in the American League West. Their overall record has been a major problem, but their 28-40 road mark is slightly better than their results at home. They have gone 2-3 across their last five completed games, losing their most recent two after consecutive victories.

Offensively, the Athletics are batting .246 with 591 runs, 1,134 hits and 159 home runs. They own a .319 on-base percentage and .401 slugging percentage. Those numbers compare favorably with Texas in several categories, as the Athletics hold advantages in batting average, runs scored, hits, home runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

The biggest weakness has been pitching. The Athletics carry a 5.41 team ERA and 1.50 WHIP while opponents are batting .269 against them. They have issued 542 walks while recording 1,143 strikeouts. Those numbers make it difficult to consistently protect leads, and the 5.41 ERA represents a significant disadvantage against the Texas staff.

One factor working in favor of the Athletics is their performance in this season series. They have won six of the first 10 meetings and took two of three when these teams last met in August. The Athletics scored eight runs in one of those victories and five in another, showing they have been capable of producing offense in this matchup.

Rangers Need to Reverse Their Recent Slide

Texas enters Monday at 66-70 overall and sits second in the American League West, two games behind Houston. The Rangers have played much better at Globe Life Field, where they are 36-29, but their recent results have been poor. Texas has dropped four consecutive games and is 1-4 over its last five.

The Rangers are batting .241 with 547 runs, 1,090 hits and 152 home runs. They carry a .316 on-base percentage and .395 slugging percentage. Texas has scored 44 fewer runs than the Athletics despite owning 13 more victories, illustrating how much more the Rangers have depended on their pitching throughout the season.

Texas owns a 4.29 team ERA and 1.31 WHIP while holding opposing hitters to a .250 batting average. The Rangers have issued 410 walks and recorded 1,144 strikeouts. Compared with the Athletics' 5.41 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, that gives Texas a substantial advantage on the pitching side.

The concern is the Rangers' recent form. Texas has allowed 32 runs over its last five games while scoring 26, and 11 of those runs came in its only victory during that stretch. Returning home should help, especially considering the 36-29 home record, but Texas needs its pitching advantage to reappear after a difficult stretch.

Athletics vs Texas Rangers Picks and Prediction

Pick: Texas Rangers Moneyline

Texas is the preferred side despite entering on a four-game losing streak. The Rangers have been significantly better at home than the Athletics have been overall, and the starting pitching matchup gives Texas an important advantage. Texas also owns the better team ERA at 4.29 compared with 5.41 for the Athletics and the better WHIP at 1.31 compared with 1.50. The Athletics' 6-4 advantage in the season series deserves respect, but the combination of home field and the pitching matchup makes Texas the better position. Take the Texas Rangers on the moneyline once the market becomes available.

Pick: Over 8.5

The starting pitching matchup favors Texas, but the season-long numbers still provide reasons to expect offense. The Athletics own a 5.41 team ERA and have allowed at least four runs in four of their last five completed games. Texas has also struggled to prevent runs recently, surrendering five, six, 10 and 11 runs during its current four-game losing streak. The season series has produced several higher-scoring games as well, including totals of nine, 11, 15, nine and 11 runs. Take the Over if the total is set at 8.5 or lower.

Final Picks: Texas Rangers Moneyline and Over 8.5

This preview was completed before play on Sunday. Starting pitchers, betting lines and other game information are subject to change before the game begins.