In the later slate of tonight’s 10-game MLB slate, the Texas Rangers will open up a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. This is the third series between these two American League West opponents this season. MacKenzie Gore and Reid Detmers will get the start for their respective squads tonight, with first pitch scheduled for 9:38 p.m. ET.
Looking at the odds, the Rangers enter as -112 favorites and hold +141 odds on the -1.5 Run Line on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Angels are +104 underdogs, with the game total set at O/U 8 runs.
Rangers at Angels prediction, preview
The Texas Rangers enter with a 59-59 record on the season. They sit a half-game behind the Houston Astros for the top spot in the division and are currently in possession of the final Wild Card seed. Texas enters this matchup looking to bounce back from a 10-5 loss to the Orioles, which snapped a four-game winning streak. On the season, the Rangers have gone 55-63 to the run line, and the run total is 61-51-6 to the over/under.
MacKenzie Gore will take the mound for the Rangers, marking his 25th start of the season. The former All-Star enters with a 6-9 record, a 4.55 ERA, a 1.244 WHIP, 16 home runs allowed and 140 strikeouts tallied across 128.2 innings pitched. Gore has faced off with the Angels twice already this season. In the first outing, he threw six innings and allowed just one earned run while striking out seven, but the Rangers came up short in a 2-1 loss. In the most recent matchup, Gore was chased after five innings after allowing seven earned runs, including two home runs.
Looking at the production at the plate, the Rangers are slashing a collective .244/.317/.407 with a .717 OPS. They rank 19th in hits, 24th in runs, 17th in home runs and 14th in strikeouts. Brandon Nimmo leads the team with 117 hits, 13 home runs and 46 RBIs. Ezequiel Duran is the lone other player to crack triple-digit hits, with 102 on the season along with 13 home runs and 64 RBIs. Josh Jung also cracks this list but remains sidelined due to injury. Jake Burger, Joc Pederson and Wyatt Langford also play key roles in the lineup.
The Los Angeles Angels have slipped to 45-73 on the season, which marks the worst record in all of baseball. They are coming off back-to-back losses and have lost 12 of their last 16. On the season overall, the Angels have gone 57-61 against the spread, and the run total is 51-66-1 to the over/under.
Reid Detmers is getting the start for the Angels, marking his 24th of the season. The 27-year-old enters with a 3-8 record, a 4.12 ERA and a 1.101 WHIP, with 17 home runs allowed and 150 strikeouts across 129.0 innings pitched. Detmers has also made two starts against the Rangers this season. In his first start this year, the left-hander threw 8.0 innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out 14 en route to a 2-1 victory. In the most recent matchup, he was chased after just 4.0 innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs in a 7-6 loss.
Looking at the offensive production, the Angels are posting collective slash lines of .236/.311/.379 with a .689 OPS. Los Angeles ranks 23rd in hits, 26th in runs, 21st in home runs, and it has tallied the second-most strikeouts in the league. Zach Neto leads the team with 103 hits, a team-high 20 home runs and 51 RBIs. Mike Trout adds 19 home runs and 41 RBIs, while Oswald Peraza, Vaughn Grissom and Nolan Schanuel also play notable roles.
Rangers at Angels pick, best bet
These are two pitchers trending in opposite directions, and two teams with very different outlooks for the remainder of the year. Reid Detmers is posting a 5.05 ERA across his past eight starts, with 10 home runs allowed across this stretch. He is allowing opposing hitters to record a 53% hard contact rate and 18.75% barrel rate across his past three outings. Detmers was also lit up for three home runs and five total runs in his previous start against this Rangers offense, which is trending in the right direction.
In contrast, MacKenzie Gore struggled to start the year in his first season in Texas, but he is back to trending in the right direction. He is coming off his third scoreless start of the season in his previous starts, and he has a 3.90 ERA across his past five starts. While Gore struggled in a start against this Angels team, Los Angeles has struggled greatly against left-handed pitching this season. On the season overall, the Angels have tallied 85 home runs and 336 RBIs against right-handed pitching compared to 38 home runs and 129 RBIs against lefties this season.
This is a Rangers team that still has plenty to play for, facing off against a lifeless Angels offense and a team limping to the finish line. Gore’s best performances are still ahead of him in a Rangers jersey, with last year’s All-Star performance with the Nationals in mind.
Los Angeles has lost six straight games that Detmers has started. The Angels have also lost each of their last eight home games following a road loss and failed to cover the run line in seven of these matchups. In contrast, the Rangers have shown a strong ability to bounce back, winning each of their last seven games following a home loss. Texas is the better team with a favorable pitching matchup and much more to play for. Expect it to capitalize on this favorable matchup and get the win on the road tonight.
Best bet: Texas Rangers Moneyline (-112)
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