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Texas Rangers v Minnesota Twins Pick
AL West leaders, the Texas Rangers will try to take the third of a four-game series on Saturday against the last-place Minnesota Twins to continue their highly successful season.
Date/Time: Saturday, June 11, 4:10 P.M. ET
Venue: Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Broadcast: FOX
Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins Betting Lines
Money Line: Rangers -140, Twins +120
Spread: Rangers -1.5
Over/Under: 8.5
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In the third of this four-game series, the Minnesota Twins will try to continue their recent success having won six-of-seven coming into the series.
On the mound for Minnesota will be Scott Baker (3-4), who is coming off a great performance against the Cleveland Indians.
In his last start, Baker played nine innings allowing nine hits and four runs for a 3.86 ERA. Baker has shown that he can be dominant all year, but Minnesota has failed time again to back him up with the offense he needs. In his 12 starts this year, the offense is averaging less than four runs. It’s no wonder he doesn’t have more wins.
Pitching for Texas will be Colby Lewis (5-6), whose last start was almost the exact opposite of Baker’s. On June 6 during a home game against Detroit, Lewis gave up 10 hits for nine earned runs for an ERA of 4.37. Lewis is going to have to be more commanding if he is to even up his record for the year.
The Ranger’s offense has all the power they need to carry Lewis if he does falter, ranking sixth in runs and fourth in batting average for the year.
Third baseman Adrian Beltre has shined for Texas in 2011, and look for him to go long against Baker. Beltre, batting .257, has 12 home runs and 45 RBIs on the year, and don’t look for him to let up against a weak pitching squad in Minnesota. Right fielder Nelson Cruz is another heavy hitter for Texas having hit 14 home runs on a .237 batting average.
Minnesota’s offense has been a completely different story, ranking 27th in runs and 23rd in batting average. There aren’t a whole lot of bright spots for the Twins offensively, but Jason Kubel is making his case for an All-Star berth batting .310 with 30 RBIs.
Texas as the hitting power to come back from any deficit against any team, and they are riding it to the playoffs.
For Minnesota, if they were to win this series it would be a great morale-booster for the last-place team, and they need it desperately with the first month of summer nearly half way gone already.
The odds makers have the Texas Rangers as a -1.5 point favorite with an run total of 8.5.
Check out the latest MLB Baseball Odds here.
Matt’s Free Prediction: Texas – This is a tough matchup for Minnesota. Even though Scott Baker is riding his high horse after his recent start, these Rangers are a completely different team, a lot better too. The Rangers are on a hot streak, and I don’t expect them to let up any time soon, especially against Baker.
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Texas Rangers Betting Trends:
- Texas is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of Texas’s last 14 games
- Texas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas’s last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota Twins Betting Trends:
- Minnesota is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota’s last 9 games at home
- Minnesota is 3-12 SU in its last 15 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games when playing Texas
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