The Texas Rangers (67-49) and New York Yankees (70-47) will close out their four-game American League series on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05 ET

Texas Rangers at New York Yankees 

Texas will try to avoid a four-game sweep in the Bronx, as the offense has plated just four runs in the first three games of the series.  The Rangers still have to be excited about the recent resurgence of outfielder Josh Hamilton, who is 10 for 24 with five home runs in his last seven games.  The All-Star outfielder hit a pair of round trippers in last night’s 3-2 setback.  Texas is 3-4 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this season, with the “over” going 5-2 in those contests.

Rangers starting pitcher Derek Holland (7-6, 4.92 ERA) earned a 2-1 home victory over the Detroit Tigers last time out, allowing one run and three hits over 7.2 frames.  The left-hander is 4-2 with a 4.06 ERA in eight road outings, surrendering 10 home runs in 51 combined innings.  In seven career games (six starts) versus the Yankees, Holland has compiled a miserable 0-5 record and 9.26 ERA, including an 0-3 mark and 8.55 ERA in four appearances (three starts) at this ballpark.

New York has gotten some quality production out of some reserves to fill the void of an injured Alex Rodriguez, with the biggest contributor being third baseman Eric Chavez.  He is batting .514 (19-for-37) in his last 11 games, including a perfect 3-for-3 performance last night.  The Bronx Bombers have gone 12-4 against the Rangers since the start of the 2011 campaign.  New York is 15-8 at home with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last two-plus seasons.

Yankees starting pitcher Ivan Nova (11-6, 4.70 ERA) snapped a two-game losing streak in coming away with a 5-2 road win over the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing two runs and five hits over 7.1 innings of work.  The right-hander is 3-4 with a 6.16 ERA in nine home outings, surrendering 12 home runs in 57 combined frames.  In three career starts versus the Rangers, Nova has tallied a 2-1 record and 4.67 ERA.

Sports bettors will likely back the Yankees due to their 5-0 mark as a favorite of -110 to -150, while the Rangers are 1-6 in their last seven games as a road underdog.

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