The Texas Rangers take on the Los Angeles Angels. Our MLB odds series has our Rangers Angels prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Rangers Angels.

The Texas Rangers have not yet clinched the American League West title, and on Tuesday, their pursuit of a division championship was slowed but not fully halted. They were hammered by the Angels in the second game of this series. However, they got good news when Houston lost to Seattle. The Rangers remained 2.5 games ahead of the Astros. Texas has five games left to play, Houston four.

The Rangers really want to win this game against the lowly Angels — a game they frankly should win — so that when they fly to Seattle, they will have a lot less pressure to win.

If Texas wins, the Rangers know that one of the Astros or Mariners will lose on Wednesday. Let's say the Astros lose. Houston would not play on Thursday. The Rangers, with a win here and an Astro loss on Wednesday, would move up 3.5 games with four to play and Houston having only three to play. Their magic number would be 1. Just one win in Seattle or one Houston loss would clinch the division.

If the Rangers win this game in Anaheim on Wednesday and the Astros beat the Mariners, Texas would still be up 2.5 on the Astros heading to Seattle. They could lose that first game in Seattle on Thursday — while the Astros are idle — and still lead by two games with three to play entering Friday. Their magic number would be 2. One Ranger win over the weekend and one Astro loss would do it. Two Ranger wins or two Astro losses would do it.

The Rangers, with a win here, would take a huge step toward the division. If they lose and Houston beats Seattle, the Rangers would lead by just 1.5 games heading to the Pacific Northwest. They would very likely need to split four in Seattle to tuck away the division, and that doesn't figure to be easy. Tonight will make the difference for Texas — not in terms of winning the division, but in terms of doing so the easy way or the hard way. It's a huge game.

Here are the Rangers-Angels MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rangers-Angels Odds

Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+100)

Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-120)

Over: 8.5 (-120)

Under: 8.5 (-102)

How To Watch Rangers vs. Angels

TV: Bally Sports Southwest (Rangers) / Bally Sports West (Angels) / MLB Extra Innings

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Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 9:38 p.m. ET/6:38 p.m. PT

*Watch Rangers-Angels LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

The Rangers know how massive this game is for them. They know they want to go to Seattle needing to win no more than one game. They don't want to have to win at least two in Seattle. They would like to go up there needing just one win. They could get that win and then rest their exhausted starters (and their pitching staff) on Saturday and Sunday to prepare for the American League Division Series. The Rangers want to put together a complete game in Southern California and board a plane smiling and relieved when they prepare for the Mariners. That's powerful incentive to get the job done here. The Rangers have Dane Dunning on the mound. He has been a solid pitcher for them this year. The Angels don't have Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout. This seems pretty clear-cut.

Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread

The Angels played with the freedom and lack of nerves one would expect from a spoiler on Tuesday night. They pounded out nine runs and looked really, really good. The Angels aren't a good team, but they are relaxed, knowing this game is of no consequence to them. The pressure of having to win games for Shohei Ohtani is off. The franchise is in a bad situation, but this team is playing pressure-free baseball right now. Tuesday we saw that when a team feels no pressure, it can play the way it wants to.

Final Rangers-Angels Prediction & Pick

The Rangers really want to make their lives easier, and they played an atrocious game on Tuesday. Chances are they will regroup, dust themselves off, and play a lot better on Wednesday. Take Texas.

Final Rangers-Angels Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5