Kyle Gibson is a Bonafide Ace for the Texas Rangers

In what has truly been the “Year of the Pitcher”, one that has been flying under the radar despite having a stellar season is Kyle Gibson of the Texas Rangers.

Gibson sports a 2.09 ERA through his first 13 starts of the season, which is the seventh best earned run average in Major League Baseball, and third best in the American League. Carlos Rodon (1.83) and Lance Lynn (2.02) are the only AL arms that have a better ERA than Gibson.

He gets the start tonight for the Rangers as they host Frankie Montas and the Oakland Athletics. Texas is set as a +104 favorite, with Oakland set as the -125 road favorite. The total for the game is set at 8.5 runs.

With how dominant Gibson has been this season, the Rangers are a great underdog bet for Monday’s slate of MLB games. Texas will need to warm their bats up to give Gibson the run support he needs, as the Rangers rank second last in Major League Baseball in OPS this season and they’ve averaged only 3.92 runs per game. To support the underdog bet, the Rangers are 8-5 in Gibson starts this season.

The 33-year old has allowed more than two earned runs just twice this season, including six straight starts in which he allowed fewer than three runs.

He’ll be starting across A’s pitcher Frankie Montas, who is 7-6 with a 4.21 ERA this season. He’s allowed two or more earned runs in three straight starts, but he’s yet to face the Rangers this season.

If you’re looking for player props to bet on, WynnBET has strikeout totals set for both pitchers. Gibson’s strikeout total is set at 4.5, with the over being favored at -140 compared to the under at +105. Despite his success, Gibson is averaging only 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s surpassed 4.5 strikeouts twice in his last five starts, and tonight he’s facing an Oakland team that ranks 15th in strikeouts per game (8.75).

Montas has a more enticing strikeout total for tonight’s AL West matchup, as his K prop is set at 5.5 with the over (-160) favored to the under (+120). Montas has surpassed 5.5 strikeouts in five of his last six starts, and he faces a Rangers team that ranks 21st in strikeouts per game (9.30).

Tonight’s game between the Athletics and Rangers is the first of a four game series.