Twins vs Rangers prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

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

One of the foremost stories in Major League Baseball at the start of September revolves around the Texas Rangers. A team which was 72-48 a few weeks ago, with a chance of winning 100 games and being the top seed in the American League playoffs, is now in a dogfight for playoff survival. The Rangers are no lock to make the playoffs. They sure seemed like it when they were 24 games over .500 and when the Seattle Mariners were treading water a month ago. Now? Everything is different. The Mariners had a torrid August in which they won over 20 games. The Rangers, meanwhile, have spiraled. They are now only 16 games over .500 at 75-59 and are just 1.5 games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays for the third and final wild card spot in the American League. This is not a horrible position to be in, but it's miles worse compared to a month ago, when Seattle was a non-factor and the Rangers had a cushion atop their division. Everything has flipped, and now the Rangers need to regroup in the final month of the regular season.

Notably, they have a series at Toronto in a few weeks. If they want to make sure to hold off the Blue Jays, they will want to enter Canada with a multi-game lead in the standings. That pursuit begins Saturday night against the American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins. Minnesota has not been impressive at all this season, but because the rest of the Central has been terrible — no other team is at .500 — they still have a five-game lead with four weeks left in the season. They did score an important win over Texas on Friday night in the first game of this series to prevent Cleveland from inching closer in the division. The Twins would take a major step toward the division title if they can win this weekend series in Arlington.

Here are the Twins-Rangers MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Twins-Rangers Odds

Minnesota Twins: +1.5 (-125)

Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+104)

Over: 9 (-122)

Under: 9 (+100)

How To Watch Twins vs Rangers

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TV: Fox

Stream: Fox Sports app

Time: 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. PT

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Why The Twins Could Cover The Spread

The Rangers are imploding. They lost eight straight games a week ago. They lost two out of three to the Twins in Minnesota, and they just lost to the Twins again. Minnesota pitching is holding down the Rangers in big spots. The Rangers have been hitting very poorly with runners in scoring position during their downward slide. Their bullpen has been a mess, too. The Rangers just aren't doing much of anything right, and it's worth noting that when Texas was going great, the team was scoring seven or more runs in a lot of its games. That isn't happening now. Can Texas win when scoring only three or four runs? The bullpen isn't performing well enough for that to happen. Texas is too dependent on slugging and scoring. Better-pitched games shrink the Rangers' margins, and Minnesota's pitching has been up to the task against this Texas batting order.

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

The Rangers have a pitching matchup they should like. Dallas Keuchel, who has been good this season but is still mysterious as he makes his way back from a brutal period in his career, will not overpower Texas hitters. The Rangers should get plenty of hittable pitches from Keuchel. Meanwhile, Jordan Montgomery — the Rangers' starter in this game — has been very good since coming over in a pre-deadline deal from the St. Louis Cardinals. Montgomery's win-loss numbers aren't great, but that's because he hasn't gotten much run support. If the Rangers score five or six runs in this game, they should win very comfortably.

Final Twins-Rangers Prediction & Pick

The Rangers are not going to keep struggling at the plate. They have too many good hitters. Montgomery should hold down Minnesota's lineup. Take Texas.

Final Twins-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5