MLB Odds: Yankees vs. Rangers prediction, pick, how to watch

The New York Yankees take on the Texas Rangers. Our MLB odds series has our Yankees Rangers prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Yankees Rangers.

The Texas Rangers have finally encountered some turbulence in the 2023 Major League Baseball season. They were 14-7 through 21 games, leading the American League West and seeing their offseason moves pay off. The Rangers’ addition of Jacob deGrom after signing Corey Seager and Marcus Semien the year before was a demonstration to a commitment to get better pitching to supplement their hitting. They retained Martin Perez, who was so good for them in 2022, and had every reason to think they could make a run at a playoff spot. Through 21 games, it was all going according to the script.

Then came a visit to Cincinnati to take on the lowly Reds, who have one of the worst offenses in baseball and were smothered by the Pittsburgh Pirates over the past weekend. The Rangers gave up five runs or more to the Reds in three different games. They allowed runs to the Reds in the bottom of the ninth in two of those games. They blew a 6-1 lead in the middle game of the series. The ultimate result was a three-game sweep loss which read like an incomplete tennis match: 7-6, 7-6, 5-3. The Reds exploited the Rangers’ most conspicuous weakness: their bullpen. Texas has to find a way to bounce back and not let that one series snowball into something much worse.

Here are the Yankees-Rangers MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Yankees-Rangers Odds

New York Yankees: -1.5 (-115)

Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-104)

Over: 7.5 (-122)

Under: 7.5 (+100)

How To Watch Yankees vs. Rangers

TV: YES Network (Yankees) / Bally Sports Southwest (Rangers) / MLB Extra Innings

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 8:05 p.m. ET/5:05 p.m. PT

*Watch Yankees-Rangers LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread

The Yankees should cover here for three simple reasons: First and foremost, Gerrit Cole is their starting pitcher. Cole has a 0.79 ERA through the first four weeks of the season. He has allowed just three runs in 34 innings across five starts. He has allowed more than one run in just one of his five starts. He has not allowed more than two runs in any of his five starts. He has been a machine.

Cole’s big problem last season — when he was good but well below great for the Yankees — was that he gave up a lot of home runs. So far this season, Cole has not allowed a homer. When he keeps the ball in the park, he is almost untouchable.

The second reason the Yankees will cover: They scored 12 runs on Wednesday in a win over the Minnesota Twins. The Yanks had been struggling at the plate. They finally busted loose and should hit a lot better now.

The third reason: Texas’s bullpen is weak and the Yankees can therefore take advantage of it.

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

The Rangers had an awful week in Cincinnati. That happens. They have a lot of good hitters who can take Gerrit Cole deep and give Cole his first bad start of the year. Cole is an elite pitcher, but everyone has a bumpy outing at some point. The laws of averages — regression to the mean — could emerge here and help Texas.

Final Yankees-Rangers Prediction & Pick

The Yankees should remain hot at the plate. Cole might not be supremely sharp — he is bound to pitch a little worse than he has over the first four weeks of the season — but he should certainly be able to make five or six runs stand up. Yankees 6, Rangers 3.

Final Yankees-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Yankees -1.5