It is game two of this interleague battle as the Arizona Diamondbacks visit the Texas Rangers. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Diamondbacks-Rangers prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Rangers come into this match-up winners for four straight games, including taking out the Diamondbacks 6-4 yesterday. That is now tied for their longest winning streak of the season. The Rangers trailed early due to a Ketel Marte first-inning home run and another home run by Christian Walker in the third inning. Going into the bottom of the third, it was 4-1. The Rangers bullpen took over in the 6th and allowed just one hit the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Ezequiel Duran hit a three-run home run in the sixth that would give the Rangers the lead for good. Today, the Diamondbacks send Brandon Pfaadt to make his first make his major league debut on the mound and hopefully win game two of the series.
Here are the Diamondbacks-Rangers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Diamondbacks-Rangers Odds
Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-205)
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+168)
Over: 8.5 (-104)
Under: 8.5 (-118)
How To Watch Diamondbacks vs. Rangers
TV: Bally Sports Arizona, Bally Sports Southwest
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 2:05 PM ET/ 11:05 AM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread
Corbin Carroll has been phenomenal in his rookie season with the Diamondbacks. Carroll is top 20 in the majors in batting average at .309, has hit four home runs and a triple, but has stolen ten bases. He has been everything the Diamondbacks could have hoped for but is currently day-to-day with an injury. Dominic Fletcher was called up to replace him, and he has gone three for five, with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in his time with the big league club.
Beyond Carroll, Christian Walker is putting together a nice campaign. He has 20 RBIs this year to lead the team. He also has hit five home runs and has an OBP of .293 this year. Geraldo Perdomo is also adding some potency to the lineup. He has an OPS of 1.068, which if he had enough at bat to qualify, would put him among the league leaders. He is hitting .391 with an on-base of .458 while driving in 16 runs this year. Tied with him with 16 RBIs is Josh Rojas who is on a small hot streak. In his last three games, he has five runs batted in, while going five for ten at the plate.
The Diamondbacks send a rookie to the mound today in Brandon Pfaadt. A 2020 fifth-round pick, he is the organization's top pitching prospect. This year in five starts in the minor leagues, he is 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA and 30 strikeouts. He has good strikeout stuff as well. Pfaadt ranks third in the Pacific Coast League in swinging-strike rate, and second in WHIP. He also had a 28.6 percent strikeout rate in the minors.
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
The Rangers score a lot of runs. They are currently the Rangers are second in baseball with 179 runs batted in on the. year. Combining that with their fifth-ranked team ERA of 3.45 is a recipe for winning. What Texas does best is drive in runners when they are in scoring position. On the year they lead the majors with a .342 batting average when runners are in scoring position. They are doing it with power too, having a .599 slugging percentage in RISP situations, which also leads the league.
It may be worth walking Marcus Semien if he comes to the plate with runners in scoring position right now. Currently, Semien is hitting .539 in those situations, has struck out just three times, and driving in 20 runs. Adolis Garcia is doing almost as well. He is hitting .385 with runners in scoring position while driving in 22 runs. Garcia has eight home runs, which ties him for 6th in the majors, and 30 RBIs which leads the bigs this year.
The Rangers will send Andrew Heaney to the mound today. While he started the season with a 23.63 ERA after his first game of the year, Heaney has bounced back. He is currently 2-2 on the season with a 4.38 ERA. In his last start, he did give up three runs, including two home runs, in a loss to the Yankees. That came after three starts in which he gave up just two combined earned runs in 16 innings of work.
Final Diamondbacks-Rangers Prediction & Pick
It is hard to predict what a rookie pitcher will do. Pfaadt has all the tools to be a great pitcher in the big leagues. Texas ranks 14th in strikeout rate this season, which should be good for him, as he is a strikeout-style pitcher. If he can get some of the big bats to strike out, and keep runners off base he should be fine. The key to beating Heaney this year has been getting to him early. In both of his losses, teams have been able to score multiple runs in the first two innings. Arizona ranks ninth in the majors in scoring in the first inning, but their percentage drops heavily on the road. They do it today though, and Brando Pfaadt comes away with his first career win.
Final Diamondbacks-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Diamondbacks +1.5 (-205)
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