For what it’s worth, the Athletics are in the driver’s seat of the AL West 17 games into the MLB season.
They tied the Rangers for first place after downing them 2-1 on Tuesday to break a seven-game losing skid against them.
The rigors of a 162-game campaign usually catch up to the Athletics, who have not made the postseason since 2020. But for now, the A’s have won six of their last seven following a 3-7 start.
In Wednesday’s matchup, J.T. Ginn (0-0, 3.27 ERA) will get the ball against the Rangers’ Kumar Rocker (0-1, 4.50 ERA).
The Athletics are slightly favored while the total is set on the moon at 10 runs.
A lot of that can be attributed to the hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park and the wind forecasted to blow out to left field.
But it’s also because both teams have mashed the opposing pitcher. Of the pair, my eye is more drawn to the .588 average the Athletics have blasted against Rocker through two career starts.
In Rocker’s last start against the A’s on April 23, 2025, he relinquished five runs in 1 ⅔ innings to further inflate his career 11.37 ERA against them.
Kumar Rocker of the Texas Rangers delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Globe Life Field on April 04, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. Getty Images The right-hander was a meatball machine in 2025, letting up a 1.54 HR/9 and finishing with well-below-average swing-and-miss rates.
One thing the Athletics have no shortage of is power. Nine home runs have been hit by big bats in Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, and Brent Rooker.
There’s shakiness in Ginn’s profile, too. His first-pitch strike rate and rising pitch counts are cause for long-term concern, though in the meantime, I’d rather back a young arm fighting his way into the rotation.
Ginn impressed with four shutout innings against the Mets in his first start of the season last week. He needed just 14 pitches to retire the side in the first inning and stayed in control throughout, with the only hit he allowed coming on a fourth-inning bunt single by Jared Young before wrapping up the frame and his outing at 68 pitches.
There’s certainly a chance things could get wacky, but the game script favors the A’s to score early, and that leaves the Rangers chasing runs with an exposed bullpen.
THE PLAY: Athletics (-116 FanDuel)
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
