Rangers vs. Giants prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

clutchpoints.com

11 August 2023

The Texas Rangers take on the San Francisco Giants. Our MLB odds series has our Rangers Giants prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Rangers Giants.

The San Francisco Giants have been described by former Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd (on MLB Network) as “the Tampa Bay Rays of the West Coast.” It's a good analogy. The Rays have been an unconventionally successful organization in pro baseball, using their pitchers in unusual ways to get 27 outs in a game. Pitchers are deployed in non-traditional spots for irregular lengths of innings, but they get results and know how to execute the game plan. The Giants are doing things in much the same way, using bullpen games with bulk middle relievers on a lot of occasions and getting mileage from that approach under manager Gabe Kapler.

San Francisco's offense can look very pedestrian at times, but the Giants' pitching has been so solid this season that it hasn't mattered that much. The Giants are in position to get the No. 2 wild card spot in the National League this year. With the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Diego Padres all being spectacularly disappointing, the door has opened for the Giants. Given that the Arizona Diamondbacks — once 16 games over .500 — have lost 19 of their last 24 games, the Giants have been able to move comfortably into second place in the National League West. It would be surprising to see the Giants in the playoffs this year — relative to preseason predictions and expectations — but it would also be a shock if the Giants fell out of a playoff position at this spot in the season. No one else in the N.L. is playing well enough to push San Francisco out of the wild card series.

Now the Giants welcome back the man who managed them to three World Series championships from 2010 through 2014. Bruce Bochy comes back to Oracle Park in what should be a special and emotional night by the San Francisco Bay.

Here are the Rangers-Giants MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Rangers-Giants Odds

Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+142)

San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-172)

Over: 8 (-120)

Under: 8 (-102)

How To Watch Rangers vs. Giants

TV: Apple TV+

For the inside story on the 24 people banned from MLB, listen below:

Stream: Apple TV

Time: 10:15 p.m. ET/7:15 p.m. PT

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

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

The Rangers have won eight of their last nine games. They have shown that when they fall behind by a few runs early in a game, they don't panic. They calmly regroup, they wait for their chance, and then they get big hits in the middle innings. They hit clutch home runs. They hit multi-run homers and are able to score runs in bunches. Some of the players on this team are new to a postseason push, but they also have veterans such as Marcus Semien and Corey Seager who are familiar with the grind of a full season and the push to October.

What should also help the Rangers here is that they just played a three-game series in Oakland and had an off day on Thursday. They have basically been able to stay in the San Francisco Bay Area — no plane flight — and get plenty of rest over the past 48 hours. They should be physically and mentally fresh for this game.

Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread

The Giants have found quality pitching throughout their rotation. They will be using a bullpen approach for this game with Scott Alexander being their opener. It's unconventional, but it has consistently worked. The Giants can simply do what they have been doing all season long. They have proved they can make it work.

The other big thing to note about this game is something you already know, but should be reminded of: Jonah Heim and Josh Jung, two very important Ranger players, are injured. This is not a full-strength Texas team, which is precisely why the Giants can contain Texas on the scoreboard and win.