The Texas Rangers take on the Minnesota Twins. Check out our MLB odds series for our Rangers Twins prediction and pick.
Cole Ragans gets the call for the Rangers, while Sonny Gray takes the bump for the Twins.
Cole Ragans' 5.02 ERA doesn't really mean that much. He is three starts into his big-league career. He is learning how to pitch, and one never knows when — or if — he will pitch well. He has shown that he can. His debut against the White Sox a few weeks ago was an outing in which he didn't give up an earned run. He then got roughed up by the Astros. In his first three starts in the big leagues, Ragans has allowed zero, five, and three earned runs. One great start, one bad start, one ordinary start. His level of performance could go in any direction. We're still gathering information and insight on his patterns and identity as a pitcher.
Sonny Gray has a 3.11 ERA. That ERA was 2.17 at the start of July, but then he ran into a bad three-start sequence. In that cluster of three starts, Gray allowed 14 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings, pushing his ERA to 3.71. Since then, however, he has bounced back, giving up five earned runs in his last five starts, encompassing 26 2/3 innings. Gray gave up more than one run in only one of those five starts. The Twins, having lost two straight games to the Rangers at home, badly need Gray to answer the call in this start.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Rangers-Twins MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Rangers-Twins Odds
Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-120)
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+100)
Over: 8 (-120)
Under: 8 (-102)
Why The Rangers Could Cover the Spread
The Rangers fired their manager and general manager over the past week. Did the team respond well to that development? Unquestionably, yes. The Rangers have looked great in Minnesota, losing a tough, well-pitched game on Friday and then beating the Twins on Saturday and Sunday. Texas pitching has been outstanding for each of the first three games of this four-game wraparound series. The Twins are the team fighting for a playoff berth, but Texas has shown more urgency in this series. Clearly, the players are on board with the changes made to the organization. They know they have not been playing well enough. They expect more of themselves. They are playing like it. The Rangers are, in a sense, already gearing up for the 2023 season and have a real hunger to improve their situation. The Twins, meanwhile, are adrift and struggling. They simply cannot play consistently good baseball. They might win three games in a row, as they did last week, but it doesn't last. This team can't play regularly well over a 15-game stretch. The Twins have basically been a .500 team for the past several months.
Why The Twins Could Cover the Spread
After getting embarrassed on Sunday in a 7-0 home shutout, the Twins know that if they lose this game, they will lose three out of four to Texas at home. That would be a crushing blow for a team with playoff aspirations. Minnesota has not hit well at all in this series — not even in its win on Friday night in the first game of this series. The Twins' bats will come to life against a rookie, Cole Ragans. It's a situation which sets up well for them.
Final Rangers-Twins Prediction & Pick
If the struggling Twins can't hit a rookie in a must-win situation, it's time for them to pack up and prepare for 2023. The Twins are a very easy call here.
Final Rangers-Twins Prediction & Pick: Twins -1.5
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