Two teams in contention for their division crown face off as the Texas Rangers visit the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rangers-Pirates pick, prediction, and how-to-watch.

The Rangers come in off a sweep of the Rockies, in which they scored 31 runs in just three games. The Rangers now sit two games ahead of Houston in the AL West with a 29-17 record. They have won seven of their last ten games as they head to Pittsburgh.  The Pirates lost two of three at home to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and minus the 13-run explosion in game one of the series, they struggled to score, scoring just six runs in the other two games combined. They have lost seven of their last ten, and the Pirates are just 4-13 in May. Three of those four wins came via a shutout pitching performance, while the other one was a 13-3 victory.

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

MLB Odds: Rangers-Pirates Odds

Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+116)

Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-140)

Over: 9 (-106)

Under: 9 (-114)

How To Watch Rangers vs. Pirates

TV: BSSW/ATTP

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 6:35 PM ET/ 3:35 PM PT

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

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

The Rangers are the top-scoring team in all of baseball. They have scored 297 runs this year, averaging 6.46 runs per game. Meanwhile, the Rangers have the top batting average, second-best on-base percentage, and second-best OPS in all of baseball. The team is difficult to stop on offense overall. Leading the charge for the Rangers is Adolis Garcia. Garcia is third in the majors with 14 home runs, and first in the majors with 49 RBIs. Much of that RBI work has come this month. In May Garcia has 19 RBIs with six home runs. Even better news for Rangers fans is that Garcia is facing a right-handed pitcher to start this game. He has hit 11 home runs and 38 RBIs off righties while hitting .264 on the year.

Also crushing right-handed pitching is Marcus Semien. Semien is hitting .313 against righties this year, with seven home runs and 32 RBIs. He is also on a massive hot streak. In May, he is hitting a slash line of .360/.437/.547. He has hits in 17 of his 18 games this month, and in the one game he did not have a hit, he still reached base safely via a walk. Even more impressive is the 18 runs he has scored this month, and the fact that he has scored in five straight games.

Beyond having a dominant offense, the Rangers are eighth in the league in ERA this year at 3.81. Dane Dunning will take his perfect record to the mound today in this one. Currently Dunning is 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA. In April. he was primarily used as a reliever, making his first start of the season on May 5th. In his three starts this year, he has pitched 17 innings, giving up just three runs, and holding a 1.59 ERA in those starts. Considering his worst start of the year so far was a six-inning, six hits, and two-run outing, the Rangers should be just fine to cover with him on the mound.

Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread

The Pirates' offense has nearly ground to a halt this month. They have scored just 47 runs in the 17 games this month, good for an average of 2.76 runs per game this month. They did slightly turn that around over the last four games, with an 8-0 win over the Tigers, a 13-3 win over the Diamondbacks, and two losses in which they scored three runs each. The Arizona series was the most runs they have put up in a series since the end of April, and yet the Pirates managed to win just one game in the series.

Bryan Reynolds leads the team in RBIs with 27, but his production has nearly stopped. This month Reynolds is hitting .224, but has only four RBIs. All four RBIs game in the first game of the series against the Diamondbacks, as he walked drove in one run, and then hit a three-run home run. In a similar view to Reynolds, Ke'Bryan Hayes has struggled this month as well. He has seven RBIs this month, but six of them came over two games against the Diamondbacks.

For the Pirates, they have to find run production. Carlos Santana has driven in just six this month, and just one in his last five games. Jack Suwinski has driven in four this month, but like Reynolds, most of his came in the Pirates ‘ run game. He had two in that game and two the rest of the month. The Pirates need to find offense in a hurry, or they will fall behind in the division race.

If they cannot find offense, their pitching has to be perfect. The Pirates will send Luis Ortiz to the mound. He has made just two starts this year and is 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA. In his first start, he went five innings, giving up five runs but just two were earned. Last time out, it was three innings, seven hits, four walks, and four runs, just three earned.

Final Rangers-Pirates Prediction & Pick

This game could be a good one. When Ortiz is finding the zone, he can be a solid pitcher. He has just yet to do that consistently. The Pirates' bats can be exciting to watch, but again, there has been no consistency. The Rangers have had consistency. They have consistently scored runs. The Rangers have found ways to either hit home runs or manufacture runs when the power is not there. They have gotten consistent good pitching, and Dane Dunning is no exception. The Rangers have better bats, better starting pitching and a better bullpen for this one. They walk away with a win tonight.

Final Rangers-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+116)