The Texas Rangers are on the road to square off with the Minnesota Twins Thursday night. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Rangers-Twins prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.

The Rangers have seen their AL West division lead over the Houston Astros shrink to just one game. They are in the midst of a six game losing streak, and they have lost seven of their last 10 games. The Rangers are also just 1.5 games up on the Seattle Mariners. A fall to the wild card could be detrimental to their season as the AL wild card race is as tight as it gets. The Rangers were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend, and they just dropped two straight games to the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are healthy, so it just comes down to playing good baseball.

The Twins are 6.0 games up on the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central division. They are just 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they are in comfortable territory at home. At Target Field this season, the Twins are 36-26, so they come to play every game at home. Six games is a comfortable division lead, but if they are not careful, and they start losing, they could easily find themselves in a division battle as the season winds down. Minnesota, however, is the only team with  positive run differential in their division.

Andrew Heaney will get the start for the Rangers. Pable Lopez will take the ball for the Twins.

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

MLB Odds: Rangers-Twins Odds

Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-188)

Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+155)

Over: 8.5 (-114)

Under: 8.5 (-106)

How To Watch Rangers vs. Twins

TV: Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports North

Stream: MLB TV subscription

Time: 7:10 PM ET/4:10 PM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

Heaney has been on and off for the Rangers. He will have a few good starts, and then one bad one, and repeat that pattern. However, he is good at limiting hits. Opponents are batting just .245 off him, and that number drops to .229 when he is pitching on the road. Another number to keep an eye on is his strikeouts. Heaney does have a K/9 over 9.0. This will definitely come into play in this game. The Twins have struck out 10 more times in a game 70 times this season. They lead the league in strikeouts and Heaney needs to take advantage of that. If the Heaney can continue to limit hits, and rack up some strikeouts, the Rangers will cover the spread.

Why The Twins Could Cover The Spread

Lopez has been a solid pitcher in Minnesota. He has been pitcher of the month in August, as well. He has made four starts for the Twins this month, and each one has been quality. In 25 innings pitched, Lopez has allowed just 19 hits, struck out 27 batters, walked only three, and he has an ERA of 0.36 (one total run allowed). Lopez has not given up a run in his last 19 innings, and he has given up just five in his last 37 innings of work. The Rangers are a solid offensive team, but they are struggling right now. If Lopez keeps throwing the ball as he has been, the Twins should come out on top.

Final Rangers-Twins Prediction & Pick

It is very hard to ignore what Lopez has done lately. Yes, the Rangers wills start winning again eventually, but not in this game. Lopez is pitching with a different kind of confidence and mentality right now, and that gives him the edge. I will take the Twins to cover the spread in this game.

Final Rangers-Twins Prediction & Pick: Twins -1.5 (+155), Under 8.5 (-106)