Rangers prediction, odds, pick, how to watch
Two teams looking to make playoff runs face as the Cleveland Guardians visit the Texas Rangers. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Guardians-Rangers prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Guardians finished the first half winning three of four over the Royals. They have been dealing with lots of injuries this year, but still, they have won six of their last nine and sit at 45-45 on the season. That places them a half-game ahead of the Twins in the AL Central. With how good the AL East has been this year, the Guardians are going to need to win their division to make it to the playoffs.
The Rangers finished the first half on a slight skid. They lost two of their last three of the Nationals, and have won just three of their last ten games overall. The Rangers are still in first place in the division, sitting at 52-39. They have seen their lead in the division dwindle, as they are now just two games over the Astros. The Rangers are already eyeing moves they can make at the deadline to ensure a playoff run.
Here are the Guardians-Rangers MLB odds,
MLB Odds: Guardians-Rangers Odds
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-170)
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+140)
Over: 8.5 (-118)
Under: 8.5 (-104)
How To Watch Guardians vs. Rangers
TV: BSGL/BSSW
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 8:05 PM ET/ 5:05 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Guardians Could Cover The Spread
The Guardians will be needing to figure out an offense to make a run at the playoffs. They are 27th in the year in runs scored, while sitting 15th in batting average, 22nd in on-base percentage, and 27th in slugging. Josh Naylor has been leading the way for them this year. He leads the team in batting average at .305 on the season, while leading the team in RBIs with 64. Naylor had a hot start to July. He is hitting .393 in July while driving in six runs and hitting a home run. Naylor has also scored four runs and hit a double in July.
Jose Ramirez is the team leader in home runs this year with 14. He has struggled with his power so far in July. He is hitting just .235 on the month with a home run and an RBI. Ramirez has two doubles and scored five runs as well. While struggling earlier in the month, Josh Bell is picking it up as well. In the series with the Royals, he went five for 11, while driving in four runs and hitting a home run.
Amed Rosario is having a very solid start to July. He is hitting .341 on the month, with two doubles and a home run. He has driven in 12 runs this month as well while scoring seven times. Rosario is also a threat on the basepath, as he does have a stolen base this month.
Aaron Civale takes the mound today for the Guardians. He comes in with a 3-2 record and a 2.56 ERA. He has been amazing in July. While making two starts, Civale has gone 13 innings, giving up five hits, and one walk. Meanwhile, he has struck out 11 batters and just allowed a single run. Civale has been solid all year, with seven of his nine starts him allowing two or fewer runs.
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
The Rangers enter the game with the best offense in baseball. They are first in runs scored this year, first in batting average and on-base percentage, while sitting second in slugging. They are led by Adolis Garcia. Garcia leads the majors with 75 RBIS and is sixth in the majors with 25 home runs this year. In July he is hitting just .250 but still has three home runs, nine RBIs and nine runs scored this month.
While Garcia is not hitting great, Josh Jung is. He is hitting .324 in July with two home runs and seven RBIs. Jung also has two doubles and has scored six times. He has struggled some with strikeouts. He has struck out 12 times this month, including one strikeout in all but one game this month. Joining Jung with a hot month is Corey Seager. Seager is hitting .395 on the month with four RBIs and two home runs. He also has four doubles this month. What has been impressive has been his run-scoring. Seager has scored nine times this month and scored a run in all but two games this month.
While Jung and Seager are hot, Marcus Semien has struggled this month. He has just six hits this month, giving him a .167 batting average. He also has one RBI, and that came on July 1st. Since then, he has not driven in a run. He does have six walks, so his OBP is at .286, but that is still below his season-long average.
On the hill, today for the Rangers will be Jon Gray. Gray is 6-5 on the season with a 3.29 ERA. His last two starts have not been his best. Last time out he gave up four runs, three earned in six innings. The time before that he gave up five runs in seven innings. After having a very solid stretch from May 8th to June 7th, he has allowed four or more runs in three of four starts.
Final Guardians-Rangers Prediction & Pick
While Gray may have the better record, Aaron Civale has been the better pitcher as of late. Furthermore, while the Ranger's offense is the best in the majors, it struggled going into the break. The break may have been just what the Rangers needed though. Many of their top bats had started going cold. The reset could be big for them to get back to what they have done all year. Expect the Rangers to get some runs on the board today. The Guardians will score their fair share, but pick the Rangers to take care of the Guardians this evening. Also, take the over with these two pitchers on the mound.
Final Guardians-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+140) and Over 8.5 (-116)
