MLB Picks: Twins vs. Rangers Prediction 8/15/24

Minnesota Twins vs. Texas Rangers
Date: Thursday, August 15th, 8:05 ET
Location: Globe Life Field
TV: BSSW
Money Line: Twins -123/Rangers +104 (Bet on MLB at reduced odds at BAS!)
Total Line: 8.5

Betting Preview

Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the Texas Rangers and the Twins on Thursday, August 15th at Globe Life Field. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.

Betting Odds

The Twins and Rangers are set to face off in an AL matchup at 8:05 PM ET at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Minnesota is 67-53 overall and they are 2nd in the AL Central, while the Rangers are 3rd in the AL West with an overall record of 56-65.

Thursday’s money line odds have the Twins at -123 compared to the Rangers at +104. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and the game will be televised on BSSW. Cody Bradford is starting for the Rangers, and the Twins are going with Bailey Ober.

Twins vs. Rangers Projected Lineup

Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record

Minnesota Twins: 67-53 SU / OU 62-54 / Runline 59-61
Texas Rangers: 56-65 SU / OU 55-61 / Runline 52-69

Twins Records & Recent Play

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 put together a good start for the Twins, going six innings and giving up just three runs on eight hits. He only had three strikeouts in the outing and took the loss. The Twins’s offense scored their only run in the 4th inning and wasted a good performance from Carlos Santana, who went 1/4 with a homer.

Minnesota is 67-53 overall this season, putting them 2nd in the AL Central, 4.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. They have been good against other teams in the AL Central, putting up a record of 28-17. The Twins won the final two games of their series vs. the Royals after dropping the opener.

At home, the Twins have gone 36-24 this season, and they are just above .500 at 31-29 on the road. As the favorite, the Twins are 54-31 this year, and they are 13 games below .500 as the underdog. So far, they have been good as the road favorite, going 25-12. Minnesota’s overall series record is 23-13-3, and they are 5-5 in their last 10 games.

Minnesota is 32-28 against the run line on the road this season. The Twins have covered the run line in two straight games, but they are just 18-17 as an underdog on the run line this season.

The Minnesota Twins are on the road today against the Texas Rangers. The O/U line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The combined run average for Twins games this season is 9.2 runs per game. Their O/U record for the season is 62-54. The average O/U line for their games is 8 runs. When the O/U line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 19-18. So far this season, 12 of their games have had O/U lines set at 8.5 runs, which accounts for 10.0% of their games. The majority of their games, 71, have had O/U lines set lower than 8.5 runs, which is 59.2% of their games.

Rangers Records & Recent Play

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 4th inning that turned things in their favor, as they scored four runs in the inning. The Rangers added another three runs in the 8th to put things out of reach. Texas closed things out with a 9th inning, and the Red Sox scored three runs in the bottom of the 9th to make things interesting.

Dane Dunning got the start for the Rangers, going five innings and giving up four earned runs. He also issued three walks and took the loss. Adolis Garcia was hot at the plate, going 3/5 with two homers and two RBIs. The Rangers also had three other players with three hits.

Texas will open their series vs. the Twins at home, 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. So far, they have gone just 14-18 in AL West matchups this year.

As the Rangers have an overall losing record, they are still above .500 at home, going 31-27. On the road, they are 25-38 this season. Texas has dropped two straight at home, and they are just 5-10 as the home underdog this year. The Rangers are also looking to turn things around in series, as they are 15-23-1 and dropped two straight series.

When betting the run line, the Rangers have been a better play on the road this season, going 28-35 compared to 24-34 at home. They have also been a better bet as the underdog, going 30-27 compared to 22-42 as the favorite. Texas has a run differential of -0.3 runs per game this season, with an average of 0.5 runs per game at home and -1.0 runs per game on the road.

When the Texas Rangers face the Minnesota Twins at home today, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Rangers have hit the over in 55 of their 116 games this season, and their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game. The over has hit in 19 of the 41 games where the line was set at 8.5 runs, and the over has hit in two straight games for Texas.

Pitching Matchup

Twins starter Bailey Ober has been pitching well, as he has won his last three starts. In his most recent outing, he went six innings and didn’t give up a run. Against the Guardians, he finished with nine strikeouts. Looking at his overall numbers, Ober has made 22 starts, and his record for the season is 12-5. The right-hander’s ERA is 3.52, and he has a WHIP of .97. This year, opponents are batting .201 off Ober. Out of his 22 starts, he has turned in 13 quality starts and is averaging 9.63 strikeouts per nine innings.

Texas is sending left-hander Cody Bradford to the mound today vs. the Twins. He has made six appearances this year and has a record of 4-0 with a 3.60 ERA. Bradford has made two quality starts this year and is averaging 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he picked up the win vs. the Yankees, going five innings and giving up one earned run. At home, Bradford is 3-0 with a 3.03 ERA compared to 1-0 with a 12.15 ERA on the road. Opponents are batting .203 off Bradford this year.

Twins vs. Rangers Offense Outlook

Heading into today’s game, the Twins are 6th in the league in runs scored at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.1 runs per game. As a team, the Twins are 6th in home runs and have the 5th best-isolated power in the league. They also have the 7th best team batting average in the league. Willi Castro and Byron Buxton are both batting over .250 for the season and have combined for 25 homers.

Over his last five games, Max Kepler has gone 8/21 with a homer and four RBIs. Byron Buxton has also homered in two of his last four games. Catcher Ryan Jeffers has struggled with a .225 batting average this season but does lead the team with 17 homers.

The Rangers offense comes into today’s game averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 17th in the league. So far, they have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .239, which is 14th in the league, and their team on-base percentage of .308 is also below the league average.

Corey Seager has been the Rangers’ best hitter this season, leading the team with 26 home runs and 63 RBIs, while also batting .274. Adolis Garcia has also been a good source of power, with 20 homers, but he is batting just .222 for the season. Garcia has been hot of late, going 11/24 in his last six games, including two home runs.

Free Twins vs. Rangers MLB Pick

The Twins are fresh off a series win over the Royals, where they took two of three games, now they have Bailey Ober on the mound, who is 5-1 with a 1.76 ERA over his last seven games. Look for the Twins to pick up a win on Thursday over the Rangers.

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