The Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers began a four-game series on Thursday night. The Rangers continue to struggle this season, losing seven of their last ten and sitting ten games out of the playoffs. The Twins were making a run at first in the American League Central before a recent run of five wins over their past ten games. The good news for the Twins is that the Cleveland Guardians are also 5-5 over that span, which has kept them from falling out of the race. The Twins are still holding on to the second wild-card spot, 3.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Twins-Rangers prediction and pick.
Twins-Rangers Projected Starters
Simeon Woods-Richardson vs. Andrew Heaney
Simeon Woods-Richardson (3-3) with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.
Last Start: vs Guardians, 7 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 2 HR
2024 Road Splits: (2-2) with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.
Andrew Heaney (4-12) with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.
Last Start: @ Yankees, 4 2/3 IP, 4 SO, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 1 HR
2024 Home Splits: (2-5) with a 3.55 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Twins-Rangers Odds
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+164)
Moneyline: +102
Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-200)
Moneyline: -120
Over: 8.5 (-110)
Under: 8.5 (-110)
How to Watch Twins vs. Rangers
Time: 8:05 PM ET/5:05 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports Networks
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Twins Will Cover The Spread/Win
It's hard to believe how far the Rangers have fallen after winning the World Series in 2023. One reason for this is the play of their pitching staff, including Andrew Heaney. Heaney allowed three or more earned runs in three of his last five starts, unsurprisingly ending in three Rangers losses. The Twins have been batting well this season but haven't generated the run support to prove it. They're batting .251 with a .323 on-base percentage, averaging five runs/nine.
Simeon Woods-Richardson's recent performance looks worse thanks to a six-earned run game against the Mets on July 29th. If you look at the other four games in the past five you'll see just seven earned runs and plenty of promising play. The Rangers are a dangerous offensive team on paper, but they are batting .221 with a .297 on-base percentage over their last ten games. The Rangers look like a defeated team that is content with running out this season and getting an extended vacation after their 2023 run.
Why The Rangers Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Rangers' pitchers may finally get a break with this matchup against the Twins. The Twins are batting just .204 with a .245 on-base percentage against left-handed pitching over their last ten games, with 3.5 runs/nine. The Rangers' offense would have no trouble capitalizing on this production level if they could jump on Woods-Richardson early, as they averaged 5.3 runs/nine against righties over the same span.
Final Twins-Rangers Prediction & Pick
Both teams have plenty of dangerous offensive pieces that aren't living up to their full potential this season. This pitching matchup offers an intriguing situation as both starting pitchers are capable of a poor start. Both bullpens have also been performing poorly over the last three games, with the Twins owning a 6.39 ERA and the Rangers with a 7.40 ERA. It feels like a great opportunity for the offenses to get out of their slump and put this game over the total.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Twins-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Over 8.5 (-110)
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