Texas Rangers vs Minnesota Twins Preview
Thursday’s Twins vs. Rangers game has a first pitch set for 8:05 PM ET from Globe Life Field in Arlington. Minnesota is 67-53 overall and 2nd in the AL Central, while the Rangers are 56-65 and 3rd in the AL West. Cody Bradford is starting for the Rangers, and the Twins are sending Bailey Ober to the mound.
The money line odds have the Twins at -123 compared to the Rangers at +104, and the over/under line is at 8.5 runs. BSSW will be televising this one, and the forecast in Arlington calls for temperatures in the mid-90s and partly cloudy skies.
Check out BetCoco for Texas Rangers – Minnesota Twins odds
Texas Rangers vs. Minnesota Twins Trends and Key Stats
- The Twins are 2-3 in their five most recent road games, including a 2-3 runline record.
- On the opposing side, the Rangers have a 2-3 (SU) record, along with a 4-1 record in their last five home contests.
- Looking back on their last ten games as the favorite, the Twins are 8-2 straight-up and 8-2 vs. the runline.
- The Rangers have a 2-8 record vs. the runline and a 6-4 straight-up record in their last ten games as the underdog.
Texas Rangers vs Minnesota Twins Prediction
Heading into their last game vs. the Royals, the Twins closed out the series with a 4-1 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 9th inning before the Royals scored three runs in the top of the 9th. Minnesota was the -105 favorite at home going into the game.
Louie Varland was excellent for the Twins, going six innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out three. However, the Twins couldn’t close things out, and Carlos Santana took the loss out of the bullpen. The Twins also wasted a big game from Manuel Margot, who homered in the 2nd inning, going 2/4.
Minnesota is 67-53 overall this season, putting them 2nd in the AL Central, 4.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. So far, they have gone 28-17 against other teams in the AL Central. The Twins are playing on the road today, where they are 31-29 this year.
The Twins have been good at home, going 36-24, and they are 54-31 as the favorite. Minnesota has struggled as the underdog, going 13-22 this year. They have won two straight games as the favorite. Minnesota’s overall series record is 23-13-3, and they won their most recent series vs. the Royals.
Minnesota has a run line record of 32-28 on the road this season, with an average run margin of 0.2 runs per game. The Twins have covered the run line in two straight games, but are just 18-17 against the run line as an underdog this season.
The Minnesota Twins are on the road today against the Texas Rangers, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The Twins have a combined run average of 9.2 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 62-54. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 19-18. So far this season, they have played 12 games with an over/under line set at 8.5 runs, which accounts for 10.0% of their games. Overall, 59.2% of their games have had over/under lines set below 8.5 runs.
Right-hander Bailey Ober gets the start for the Twins today as he faces the Rangers on the road. He has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 12-5 with a 3.52 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .201 off Ober this season, and his WHIP is currently .97. Ober has turned in 13 quality starts this year and is coming off a game in which he didn’t allow a run. In that outing vs. the Guardians, he went six innings, picking up the win. Ober has won each of his last three starts.
Minnesota’s offense has been one of the best in the league this season, as they are 6th in runs per game (4.9), and have the 6th most home runs in the league. The Twins have been especially good at home, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .253, which is 7th in the league.
Ryan Jeffers and Carlos Santana are tied for 2nd on the Twins with 16 home runs apiece, with Jeffers leading the team with 53 RBIs. Jeffers is hitting just .225 for the season, but he has gone deep 17 times. Byron Buxton has also gone deep 16 times and is batting .275 for the season. Buxton has two homers in his last four games and has gone 3/12 in that stretch. Max Kepler is on a three-game hitting streak and has gone 8/21 in his last five games.
Heading into their last game vs. the Red Sox, the Rangers closed out the series with a 9-7 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at +116 on the money line. It was a big 3rd inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Red Sox could only score one run in the 3rd to answer. Texas added another three runs in the 6th to put things out of reach, and the Rangers closed things out with a 3-run 9th.
Dane Dunning got the start for the Rangers, going five innings and giving up four earned runs on five hits. He only had three strikeouts in the outing and took the loss. Adolis Garcia was hot at the plate, going 3/5 with two homers and two RBIs.
Texas will host the Twins today with an overall record of 56-65, putting them 3rd in the AL West. Currently, they are 9.5 games behind the Astros for the division lead and trail the Mariners by 7 games for the second wild-card spot. The Rangers head into today’s game with an AL West division record of 14-18.
At home, the Rangers are 31-27 this year compared to 25-38 on the road. As the favorite, the Rangers have gone 36-28 and 20-37 as the underdog. So far, they have dropped two straight at home, and their overall series record is 15-23-1. Texas is coming off losing their series vs. the Red Sox 2-1 and are just 3-7 over their last 10 games.
When betting the run line on the Rangers this season, it’s been a losing proposition. They are 52-69 vs. the run line, including a 24-34 mark at home. They have lost four straight run line bets at home and are 22-42 when favored. Their average run differential in games they win is +3.8, but it’s -3.8 in losses.
The Texas Rangers are playing at home against the Minnesota Twins in a game with an over/under line of 8.5 runs. The combined run average for these teams is 8.8 runs per game, and their over/under record for the season is 55-61. The average over/under line for their games this season is 9 runs, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 19-22. This season, 41 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs, which accounts for 33.9% of their games. Their current over streak is 2 games.
Texas is sending left-hander Cody Bradford to the mound today vs. the Twins. He has made 5 starts this year and has a record of 4-0 with a 3.60 ERA. Bradford’s WHIP for the season is currently .93. In his 30 innings of work, he has issued just 4 walks compared to 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings. Bradford has made two quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he allowed just one earned run in 5 innings of work. Opponents are batting .203 off Bradford this year.
Corey Seager has been the Rangers’ most consistent hitter this season, batting .274 with a team-leading 26 home runs and 63 RBIs. Adolis Garcia is also near the top of the home run leaderboard for the Rangers, but he is batting just .222 for the season. However, Garcia has been hot of late, going 11/24 in his last six games with two homers.
As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 17th in the league. They are also just 14th in batting average and have a collective on-base percentage of .308. Overall, they are 12th in home runs, but their slugging percentage and OPS are both below the league average.
With the Rangers being the underdogs at +104, we see them as a great value pick to win this one outright. Our predicted score is 6-5 in favor of the Rangers, and with the payout at +104, this is the route we recommend going.
If you’re looking for a prediction on the over/under line, we would take the over at 8.5. Looking at the starting lineups, we have the Twins finishing with nine hits compared to the Rangers with nine as well.
Texas Rangers vs Minnesota Twins Betting Tips
- We like the Rangers on the moneyline (+104)
- On the run line we like Rangers (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Texas Rangers Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Max Scherzer | Out | Shoulder |
| Jacob deGrom | Out | Elbow |
| Nathan Eovaldi | Probable | Side |
| Jon Gray | Out | Groin |
| Josh Sborz | Out | Shoulder |
| Cole Winn | Out | Shoulder |
| Evan Carter | Out | Back |
| Carson Coleman | Out | Elbow |
| Jacob Latz | Out | Forearm |
Minnesota Twins Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony DeSclafani | Out | Elbow |
| Carlos Correa | Out | Heel |
| Byron Buxton | Questionable | Hip |
| Alex Kirilloff | Out | Back |
| Chris Paddack | Out | Forearm |
| Brock Stewart | Out | Undisclosed |
| Justin Topa | Out | Knee |
| Joe Ryan | Out | Teres Major |
| Daniel Duarte | Out | Elbow |
| Kody Funderburk | Out | Oblique |
| Brooks Lee | Out | Bicep |
