New York rides in fresh off a sweep of the Twins in the American League Divisional Series and now takes on Texas in Game 1 of the ALCS in Arlington.
New York Yankees at Texas Rangers
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A pair of southpaw starters take the stage in a series that has a playoff-type atmosphere surrounding it in Arlington.
Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers
Minnesota has run into some problems in the first two games of this four-game set in Arlington, almost getting no-hit on Monday night and then falling by a 4-3 score last night to see its lead drop to 3 1/2 games in the AL Central. The series definitely has a playoff feel and manager Ron Gardenhire knows the importance of these situations during the regular season by saying, “We missed a play in the outfield and it ended up costing us again. That’s the difference in this ballgame.” The Twins are still a solid 17-8 against the AL West this season and 14-8 this month (+510). Beginning tonight, the club has 11 more games against the division, with six occurring this week. Minnesota has also performed well against left-handed starters this season, producing a 25-18 mark in 2010 (+540) and a 82-76 record over the last three seasons (+30).
Game 1 of this series was a classic pitching duel, but tonight’s contest may light up the scoreboard.
Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers
Los Angeles fell to 1-2 on its current six-game road trip after dropping a 3-2 contest to the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on Thursday night in Arlington. “Each game with these guys is important,” last night’s starting pitcher Jered Weaver said. “Six back is not where we want to be.” The Angels are 4-3 since the All-Star break, but 7-11 this month (-480). An important trend to pay attention to this weekend is the Halos propensity to perform at a high level over the weekend. Los Angeles is 28-17 in games played from Friday-Sunday this season compared to 23-29 the rest of the week. The team will find itself a +175 to +200 road underdog for just the third time in three years, posting a 1-2 mark (-20) with the total being 2-1 O/U in those games.
The series finale possesses a great pitching matchup on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.
Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox
Texas missed out on having an opportunity to possibly sweep the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, dropping a 3-2 decision in 11 innings last night. “That was a well-played game,” third baseman Michael Young said. The club is 5-9 in July (-1,360) and has lost 10 of the last 16 games beginning on June 29. The Rangers total is also 5-9 O/U this month, with the team averaging just 4.1 runs over the past seven games. Texas is 8-16 versus AL East clubs this season, dropping six of the last eight. Ironically enough, the team is 3-9 on the road against the East clubs, with all wins coming at Fenway Park. The Rangers have dropped 11 of 14 road games against the division since September 5, 2009. Offensively, outfielder Josh Hamilton remains hot in going 12-for-27 (.444) in his last seven games and is hitting an MLB-best .429 in 40 games since June 1. During his hot streak, the Rangers lead the Majors with a 13-5 record away from Arlington.
Angels starter Jered Weaver has managed just two victories at home while ranking second in the majors in strikeouts.
Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels
Texas has the second-best record in the majors and handicappers better start paying attention. The Rangers enjoyed an outstanding June, posting the most wins and best record in the majors. Part of this success must be attributed to the play of outfielder Josh Hamilton. He came into Wednesday night’s contest hitting safely in a career-best 22 straight games and hitting .462 with nine home runs and 29 RBI over that span. Those numbers have led to Hamilton batting an MLB-best .457 in June. The Rangers have held their own against the Angels, posting wins in 13 of their last 22 games before the series started. The Rangers are 13-6 against the AL West (+710), but have played just seven games on the road (4-3).
Continue reading “Thursday MLB Betting Preview – Rangers at Angels”
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