MLB Betting Odds Preview - Minnesota Twins vs. Texas Rangers

It has been fun watching the AL this season. The betting world has been pleasantly surprised at the season-long performances of the Texas Rangers and the Minnesota Twins. At this late point in the season, both teams sit on top of their respective divisions and it does not look like anyone is going to catch them.

In the AL Central, the Minnesota Twins have been able to make sports fans in the Twin Cities forget about NFL betting and NCAA football betting just for a little while. The Chicago White Sox looked to be challenging the Twins for a while there, but with six losses in their last 10 games the White Sox have fallen to three and half games back of the Twins.

The AL West has not been much of a contest all season long. The only competition the Texas Rangers have had to worry about has been the Oakland A’s. After a strong start, the A’s have drifted to eight and half games back of the Rangers. With the A’s playing .500 ball in their last 10 games, they give themselves no chance to catch the surging Texas Rangers.

If the Rangers have experienced one setback this season it has been the play of newly-acquired pitcher Cliff Lee. Lee has given up a lot of runs since coming to the Rangers, and he does not look ready to contribute to the Rangers’ playoff push just yet.
The MLB betting experts are watching this series as it pits two top contenders in the AL against each other head-to-head. In the first game of the series the Minnesota Twins beat the Rangers in a close 4-3 game. While the pitching may have been a bit off on both sides for that first game, the offense was certainly on display.

In this game the Rangers will put Cliff Lee on the mound. For the season, Lee has a 10-7 record and a 3.09 ERA. Those are impressive numbers, but in his last three starts Lee has an 0-2 record and an ERA that is almost 9.00. To make matters worse, the Rangers have gone 3-6 when Lee has started a game. Lee is supposed to be a staff ace, and this is the game he needs to re-establish his dominance of years past.

The Twins will be putting Francisco Liriano on the mound for this game. Liriano is 11-7 this season with a 3.45 ERA. For this season, Liriano has walked four or more batters only four times. He normally has great control, but in his last two starts he has watched his control lapse. The Twins need Liriano sharp going into the playoffs, and facing off against Cliff Lee is one way to bring Liriano’s confidence back.

With the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays having more wins that the Rangers and Twins, it is likely that the Twins and Rangers will meet in the first round of the playoffs. Knowing that, both teams are going to be watching these games very closely to see what kind of match-ups they will want when the playoffs finally start.

Pick: Minnesota Twins 3-1