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The Texas Rangers (74-57) and New York Mets (60-72) meet for the middle contest of a 3-game series in Queens. First pitch at Citi Field is slated for 7:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Rangers vs. Mets odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Texas leads 1-0
The Rangers took Monday’s series opener 4-3. They will take the field Tuesday looking to do something they have not done since Aug. 14-15 and that’s win back-to-back games. Since Aug. 16, Texas is 2-9 with a .664 OPS at the plate.
The Mets are just 2-6 over their last 8 games. Over that stretch, a scuffling New York offense has tallied just 3.13 runs per game on a .625 OPS.
Rangers at Mets projected starters
LHP Andrew Heaney vs. LHP Jose Quintana
Heaney (9-6, 4.34 ERA) makes his 26th start of the season. He owns a 1.36 WHIP, 3.6 BB/9 and 9.3 K/9 in 122 1/3 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R (all HRs), 1 BB, 5 K in a 7-5 loss at Minnesota Twins Thursday
- 2023 road stats: 3-3, 4.41 ERA in 49 IP across 10 starts
- Career starts vs. Mets: 0-1, 2.45 ERA in 11 IP in 2 starts (2014-22)
- Has pitched less than 5 IP in each of his last 3 outings and has yielded 7R over 9 1/3 IP in that stretch
Quintana (1-5, 3.73 ERA) is tabbed for his 8th start of the season. He has a 1.39 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9 and 6.6 K/9 in 41 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 5 1/3 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 5 K in 7-0 loss at the Atlanta Braves Wednesday
- 2023 home stats: 0-2, 2.45 ERA in 11 IP in 2 starts
- Last 5 starts vs. Rangers: 1-1, 3.71 ERA in 26 2/3 IP (2016-21)
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Rangers at Mets odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:54 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Rangers -130 (bet $130 to win $100) | Mets +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Rangers -1.5 (+135) | Mets +1.5 (-160)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Rangers at Mets picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 4, Mets 3
Moneyline
PASS. The Mets plus 1.5 runs is the only slight lean among these sides. But peg these prices as being fair.
Run line/Against the spread
The Mets play in a lot of 1-run games. With an Under call here, the home side is the lean.
Its a lean built a bit on the Ranger offense being overcooked overall. But the lean can’t be augmented enough by having Quintana, a slight fade candidate on the mound. PASS.
Over/Under
Texas games have hit the Under in 18 of the club’s last 28 road games (+6.80 Units, 21% ROI). Mets games have cashed on the Under in 27 of their last 42 games at home (+9.82 Units, 19% ROI).
Heaney draws a Mets club which has bottom-10 production numbers against left-handers (.700 OPS). Quintana is coming off a rocky start at Atlanta, but he toted a 6-start 3.03 ERA, 1.26 WHIP into that turn. He’s taking on a Texas lineup that has sputtered of late (.664 OPS, 26.1% strikeout rate since Aug. 16).
Both sides have bullpens that generate a lot of fly balls and have been perhaps unduly touched up by home runs at times. Those relievers and fly-ball hurlers Heaney and Quintana should benefit from an inward breeze in the Citi Field forecast.
BET THE UNDER 8.5 (-110).
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