Last night, the Texas Rangers took on the Cleveland Guardians and downed them 6-3. After that result, the former maintains their slim lead in the AL West; the latter dropped out of the top spot in the AL Central. These aren’t true contenders but they are both vying for their respective divisions, which should make for some interesting baseball tonight in game two of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.
Here’s a betting prediction and pick for this Rangers vs. Guardians matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Rangers vs. Guardians prediction, preview
Texas Rangers
With last night’s win, the Rangers got back above the .500 mark at 43-42. They’re atop the AL West by just half a game, due in no small part to a recent five-game winning streak. The club’s run differential is now down to -5 on the year, and while they’re one of the lowest-scoring teams in baseball with just 4.07 runs per game, the pitching staff has provided plenty of support to make up for when the bats underperform. The .712 OPS on the year ranks 19th in the MLB on a .244/.320/.392 slash line. Texas also has 89 homers with a .148 ISO that falls 20th. The club also produces an 0.39 BB/K ratio with an 8.9% BB% and a 22.6% K%. Tonight, the club faces a right-handed pitcher after slashing .245/.321/.392 in the split for — you guessed it — a .712 OPS. Plus, 69 of the Rangers’ homers have come against a RHP.
Star RHP Jacob deGrom starts tonight with a 6-5 record in 16 games. He’s thrown to the tune of a 3.55 ERA that’s on the higher end for him, but a 1.03 WHIP remains excellent and he has 106 strikeouts through 88.2 IP. That 29.9% K% is good for the 92nd percentile. He’s backed by an effective bullpen that has a 3.81 ERA, 12th in the MLB, plus a 1.26 WHIP and a 12.1% K-BB%.
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians dropped to 44-41, putting them one game shy of the AL Central lead. They’re just 4-6 over their last 10 games. The overall run differential is -11 on the year, with their 3.93 runs a game the second fewest in baseball. The club’s .676 OPS still ranks third-to-last with a .229/.312/.364 slash line on the campaign. The bats are uninspiring to say the least, and the continued absence of Jose Ramirez and Chase DeLauter also continues to leave two of the best hitters out of the lineup. The Guardians severely lack power with only 76 homers and a .135 ISO, which ranks second-to-last. There are some positives though, such as a 10.0% BB% that sits fifth among all teams and a solid 21.7% K%. Tonight, they face off against a right-hander after slashing .231/.312/.374 with a .686 OPS in the split, with 56 of their homers coming from such pitchers.
RHP Tanner Bibee takes the mound tonight with a 2-8 record in 17 starts. He has a 3.78 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and 81 strikeouts across 95.1 IP. It’s a little surprising to see the W-L record given his performance this year, too. Cleveland’s bullpen is solid with a 3.94 ERA that ranks 13th and a 1.36 WHIP, but a 16.6% K-BB% remains one of the MLB’s best.
Rangers vs. Guardians pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Rangers as -125 road favorites on the Moneyline tonight. The Guardians are home underdogs with +104 odds to win outright. The total sits at 7.5 combined runs this evening.
Best Bet: TEX Rangers ML (-125)
It’s almost shocking to see the Rangers as -125 favorites and not shorter odds instead. They have deGrom on the mound, who has been a little bit shakier than usual in terms of earned runs allowed this year but remains a very good pitcher with higher upside than most other arms across the MLB. The veteran doesn’t allow many baserunners and has an 84th-percentile grade or better in chase and whiff rate, and a 5.6% BB% is also excellent. The former Cy Young winner should dominate this game against a lineup that often struggles to get much in the way of offense going. Cleveland’s .635 OPS this month doesn’t inspire confidence against him, and Texas has been better than usual in June with a .743 mark. This is the Rangers’ game to lose.
