Marlins-Rangers prediction: Picks, odds on Sunday, August 6

The rejuvenated Texas Rangers (65-46) will go for a sweep of the Miami Marlins (58-54) as these two teams wrap up their weekend interleague series this afternoon. First pitch of Sunday’s finale is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. ET from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Ace Sandy Alcantara (4-9, 4.21 ERA) gets the nod for the Marlins, while the Rangers turn to lefty Andrew Heaney (8-6, 4.36).

Despite an aggressive trade deadline, the Marlins’ second-half fade continues, three straight losses and a 5-15 record since the All-Star break. Miami is now a half-game back of the Reds for the third and final NL Wild Card spot, and they’ll be heading to Cincinnati next for a crucial three-game series starting on Monday.

After successful debuts from both Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery, the Rangers have now won five in a row and stretched their lead over the Astros in the AL West back to 2.5 games. A West Coast swing will be up next for Texas, starting with three games against the lowly Oakland Athletics.

Texas enters as -135 favorites on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Miami a +114 underdog. The run total is set at 8.5.

Marlins-Rangers picks: Sunday, August 6

Injury report

Marlins

Out: RP Matt Barnes (hip), RP Tommy Nance (shoulder), RP Anthony Bender (elbow)

Rangers

Out: SP Nathan Eovaldi (elbow), C Jonah Heim (wrist), DH Brad Miller (hamstring)

Starting pitchers

Sandy Alcantara vs. Andrew Heaney

The Marlins may be running out of gas, but Alcantara is finally starting to look like the guy who won the NL Cy Young award last year. The righty has allowed one run over his last 17 innings, with a complete game against the Tampa Bay RaysPhiladelphia Phillies last time out. After months of inconsistency, Alcantara’s usually-elite changeup has started coming around of late, diving down and below the zone rather than getting left up and hit hard — if he can keep that up, he’s capable of dominating any lineup in baseball.

Heaney has been the human embodiment of a coin flip for basically his entire career: Good luck knowing which version of the lefty is going to show up on any given day. The Rangers got Good Heaney last time out, as he fanned 11 batters over six two-hit innings against the Chicago White Sox. Of course, he also had a 5.40 ERA in five starts in July, a month in which he alternated two scoreless outings with seven and four earned runs, respectively. If he’s commanding his fastball and slider, he can be as good as anyone. If not, well, again: good luck.

Over/Under pick

For all of their recent struggles overall, Miami continues to hit left-handed pitching pretty well, with a 139 wRC+ against southpaws over the last two weeks that ranks within the top five in the Majors. You can never trust Heaney to keep it together for too long, and I expect the Marlins to finally put up some runs on Sunday afternoon. Unless Alcantara manages to spin another shutout against this dangerous Texas offense — always a possibility — the over should hit.

Pick: Over 8.5

Moneyline pick

I could live to regret this given the way that each of these teams are trending at the moment, but Alcantara is just much more trustworthy on the mound than Heaney is — especially against a righty-heavy Marlins lineup that can actually do some damage if he’s leaving mistakes in the strike zone. With plus odds, I’ll ride with the superior starting pitcher and pick Miami to avoid a sweep.