The Texas Rangers (69-47) and San Francisco Giants (62-54) will continue their weekend interleague series tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. ET at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Lefty hurler Andrew Heaney (9-6, 4.14 ERA) will step on the mound for the Rangers and will go up against righty Alex Cobb (6-3, 3.30 ERA) for the Giants.
Runs were at a premium in last night’s series opener and Texas managed to scrape by with a 2-1 victory. Nathaniel Lowe and Mitch Garver ended up being the difference makers for the Rangers with back-to-back jacks in the top of the sixth.
Just like last night’s game, this one is nearly a pick ‘em on the moneyline over at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Giants at -118 and the Rangers at -102. The run total is set at 8.5.
Rangers-Giants picks: Saturday, August 12th
Injury report
Rangers
Out: SP Nathan Eovaldi (elbow), C Jonah Heim (wrist), DH Brad Miller (hamstring), 3B Josh Jung (thumb), OF Travis Jankowski (paternity)
Giants
Day-To-Day: RP Keaton Winn (elbow), RP Darien Nunez (elbow), SS Marco Luciano hamstring)
Out: OF Mitch Haniger (forearm), SP Antony DeSclafani (elbow), OF Mike Yastrzemski (hamstring), OF Luis Gonzalez (back), RP John Brebbia (hand), OF AJ Pollock (oblique)
Starting pitchers
Heaney has been rolling as of late, picking up a win in his last three starts. Last Sunday’s victory over the Marlins was his second straight outing where he didn’t yield a single earned run, giving up just four hits and two walks in 5.2 innings of work. Cleanup hitters are batting .320 against him this season, so he’ll need to be extra careful when facing Joc Pederson or Wilmer Flores this evening.
Cobb has been reliable for the Giants but wasn’t particularly crisp against the Athletics last Sunday. He yielded five earned runs off seven hits through 5.1 innings of work as the Giants would go on to lose 8-6. He’s only recorded seven strikeouts in his last two starts combined, so his ability to fan Texas batters tonight will be an indicator of success.
Over/Under pick
While it may not be like last night’s 2-1 contest, we could see another low-scoring affair between these two tonight. The Giants’ are in a slump at the plate and their struggles make the under a favorable play for this matchup.
Pick: Under 8.5
Moneyline pick
San Fran has posted back-to-back one-run outings at the plate and has really struggled at the plate as of late. The Giants have posted a league-low 44 total bases in the last week and are simply not getting runners in scoring position. I’d imagine their struggles continuing against a solid arm like Heaney this evening, so take the Rangers on the moneyline.
Pick: Rangers