The Texas Rangers (24-27) travel to face off against the Minnesota Twins (26-23) on Friday, May 24th. This game will be played at Target Field in Minneapolis and televised on BSN. The Twins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rangers are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Phillies. First pitch is set for 7:10 ET.
Rangers vs Twins
Heading into their last game vs. the Phillies, the Rangers closed out the series with a 5-2 loss. Texas was the +170 underdog on the money line going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Rangers, as they got on the board with a run in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Phillies scored three times in the bottom of the second.
Andrew Heaney got the start for the Rangers and took the loss. He only lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on nine hits. Adolis Garcia had only one hit, but it was a home run, and the Rangers scored their other run in the 7th.
Texas is on the road today vs. the Twins, having dropped four straight games, and they are 24-27 overall. The Rangers are in 2nd place in the AL West, three games behind the Mariners for the division lead. Texas’ AL West record is 9-11 this season.
At home, the Rangers are 12-13 and 12-14 on the road. As the underdog, Texas has dropped four straight, and they are an even 15-15 as the favorite this year. The Rangers’ overall series record is 7-8-1, and they lost their most recent series vs. the Phillies.
When betting the run line this season, the Rangers have been a poor choice, going 19-32. They have been even worse on the road, going 10-16, and have failed to cover the run line in eight straight road games. They have been favored in 30 of their 51 run line games and have gone just 9-21 in those games.
When the Texas Rangers are on the road, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs for their game against the Minnesota Twins. The combined run average in their games this season is 9.1, and their over/under record is 21-29. The average over/under line in their games is 9 runs, and their record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 5-10. So far this season, 51.0% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs, while 19.6% have had lower lines.
José Ureña Gets The Start For The Rangers
Texas is sending José Ureña to the mound today vs. the Twins, and he comes in with a record of 1-3 and ERA of 3.29. So far, Ureña has made two quality starts and is averaging 5.63 strikeouts per nine innings. The right-hander’s last outing came vs. the Angels, where he went six innings, giving up one earned run, and finished with a no-decision. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight outings. Ureña’s ERA on the road is 11.78, compared to 1.07 at home.
Rangers Offense Breakdown
Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien have been the Rangers’ top power threats this season, with Garcia’s 12 homers leading the team and Semien’s nine homers coming in as the second-most on the team. Garcia also leads the team with 36 RBIs, which is 8th in the league. Garcia has gone just 3/16 in his last four games, but he did hit two homers during that stretch. Corey Seager has been hot of late, going 7/18 in his last five games with three homers.
As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.5 runs per game and have been a better offensive team on the road (5.0 RPG) compared to at home (3.9 RPG). Overall, they are batting .245, which is 10th in the league, and are also 10th in home runs. Currently, Corey Seager is on a seven-game hitting streak.
Max Kepler and the Twins are coming off a good performance at the plate, as they closed out their series vs. the Nationals with a 3-2 win. Kepler went 2/4 with a homer and two RBIs. The Twins really needed his offense, as they only scored three runs on seven hits. Carlos Correa hit the other homer for the Twins, going 1/4.
Simeon Woods Richardson got the start for the Twins, going 4 2/3 innings, and didn’t give up a run. He only had one strikeout in the outing and got the win.
Minnesota is 26-23 overall and is 3rd in the AL Central, 6.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Twins head into today’s game having won two straight, and they closed out their series vs. the Nationals with a win. So far, they are 12-10 in AL Central games.
At home, the Twins are 11-11 this season and have gone 15-12 on the road. As the favorite, Minnesota has put together a record of 21-11 and are 5-12 as the underdog. So far, they have an overall series record of 8-6-2.
Minnesota is 24-25 against the run line this season, including a 9-13 mark at home. Their average run margin is just 0.1 runs per game, and they have a run line record of 15-12 on the road. They are 16-16 against the run line as the favorite and 8-9 as the underdog.
The Minnesota Twins have played to an over/under record of 23-25 this season, with the average line set at 8 runs per game. When the line has been set at 8.5 runs, the Twins have gone 3-9, and their games have averaged a combined 8.9 runs per game. Just 12.2% of their games have had higher lines than today’s 8.5-run total.
Bailey Ober Gets The Start For The Twins
Twins starter Bailey Ober has made nine starts this season and has a record of 4-2 with an ERA of 4.40. He has made four quality starts this year and is coming off a rough outing against the Guardians, where he took the loss. In that start, he gave up five earned runs in four innings of work. Before that outing, he had not allowed more than two earned runs in three straight starts. Opponents are batting .221 off the right-hander this season. Ober’s ERA on the road is 12.28 compared to 2.30 at home.
Twins Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Twins are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per game compared to just 3.7 runs per game at home. As a team, the Twins are batting .232, which is 15th in the league, and their collective on-base percentage of .302 is 17th in the MLB.
Ryan Jeffers has been a big power threat for the Twins this season, as his 10 home runs are 7th best in the league. He also comes into the game with a team-high 32 RBIs. Jeffers is hitting .255 for the season. Willi Castro and Edouard Julien are also looking to get things going at the plate, as Castro is batting just .262, and Julien is at .204.
Rangers vs Twins Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Rangers vs. Twins game is to take the Twins on the money line at -155. We have the Twins winning this one by a final score of 5-4. With the over/under line sitting at 8.5 runs, we see this one finishing with just nine runs, so we would recommend sticking with the Twins on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Bailey Ober is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which is 10th among today’s starters. As for José Ureña, he is projected to finish with just four strikeouts, which is the third lowest among today’s starters.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 24, 2024 Rangers, Twins