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The Texas Rangers (72-56) continue their 9-game road trip with the 3rd game of their 4-game set against the Minnesota Twins (67-62). First pitch for Saturday’s matchup is at 7:15 p.m. ET at Target Field (FOX). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Rangers vs. Twins odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Twins lead 2-0.
The Rangers are mired in an 8-game losing streak and have lost 9 of their last 10 games. The Twins beat them 7-5 and 12-2 in the first 2 games of the series. They are now tied for 1st place in the AL West with the Seattle Mariners.
The Twins hold a 6-game lead in the AL Central. They have won 2 in a row with the victories in the first 2 games of the series and are 7-4 in their last 11 games.
Rangers at Twins projected starters
RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Joe Ryan
Scherzer (12-5, 3.77 ERA) makes his 24th start and 5th for the Rangers. He has a 1.15 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 10.3 K/9 through 131 1/3 IP.
- Last start: Loss, 3 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 4 K in 6-2 home loss to Milwaukee Brewers Sunday
- 3-1 with 2.66 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 4 starts since being traded to Rangers
Ryan (9-8, 4.43 ERA) makes his 23rd start. He has a 1.14 WHIP, 1.8 BB/9 and 10.9 K/9 through 126 IP.
- Last start: Loss, 4 IP, 7 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 4 K in 7-3 road loss to St. Louis Cardinals Aug. 2
- Returning from a stint on injured list for a groin injury
- Had 8.87 ERA in last 5 starts before going on IL
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Rangers at Twins odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Rangers -120 (bet $120 to win $100) | Twins +100 (bet $100 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Rangers -1.5 (+145) | Twins +1.5 (-175)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Rangers at Twins picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 6, Twins 3
Moneyline
Scherzer struggled in his last outing but picked up wins in each of his 1st 3 starts since joining the Rangers. The Rangers have been held to 3 or fewer runs in 6 of the games during their 8-game skid.
The Twins are 38-26 at home while the Rangers have dropped below .500 (30-32) on the road.
But Ryan struggled over his last 5 starts before landing on the injured list. The Twins lost 3 of his last 5 outings.
I give the Rangers the edge in this game, but their performance in their wins this season makes the run line a better wager.
PASS.
Run line/Against the spread
The Rangers are 72-56 ATS overall this season while the Twins are 62-67 ATS overall.
The Rangers have lost 8 games in a row, failing to cover the spread in any of them. However, they are 15-2 ATS in their last 17 wins.
BET RANGERS -1.5 (+145)
Over/Under
Ryan’s last 6 starts before landing on the IL all had 9 or more total runs.
Only 1 of Scherzer’s 4 starts for the Rangers has had more than 8 total runs, but 3 of them had 8 or more.
Both games in the series so far have had double-digit runs, and the Rangers’ last 3 games have had 9 or more runs. The total has been 8 or more in 5 of their last 8 games.
BET OVER 7.5 (-120).
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