The Texas Rangers headed to Cincinnati for a three-game set with a record of 14-7, leading the American League West. Three games later, their record is 14-10, and while they still lead the division by a half-game over Houston, their bullpen looks ridiculous, as they lost each game in the last at-bat, including blowing a 6-0 lead to lose, 7-6, in the middle game. Jonathan Hernandez gave up the walk-off home run in the series finale on Wednesday. Whether it’s Cole Ragans and Ian Kennedy (who blew the lead on Tuesday) or Jose Leclerc and Will Smith (who blew the lead on Monday), the Rangers need someone who can finish games. Things don’t get any easier with the 14-11 New York Yankees coming to town for a four-game set. We have MLB betting predictions for each matchup.
MLB Weekend Spotlight: N.Y. Yankees at Texas Rangers (April 27-30) | MLB Lines
Projected Pitching Matchup: Gerrit Cole (4-0, 0.79 ERA) (NY) vs Andrew Heaney (2-1, 4.34 ERA) (TEX)
When: Thursday, April 27, 8:05 pm ET
Where: Globe Life Field, Texas
Live Stream: MLB Network, MLB.tv
Gerrit Cole has only allowed three earned runs all year, across five stars. His best outing came on April 16, when he threw a complete-game shutout against the Minnesota Twins, a 2-0 gem that featured 10 strikeouts with just one walk and two hits. On Saturday, he went 5 ⅔ innings, shutting out the Toronto Blue Jays while scattering four hits and two walks and striking out four. He looks like he’s back to the dominant form that he showed when he helped the Houston Astros get to the World Series against Washington in 2019.
Andrew Heaney struggled in his first start of the season, getting shelled by the Baltimore Orioles for seven runs on seven hits, including two home runs, over just 2 ⅔ innings. Since then, though, he has allowed just two earned runs over three starts, striking out 18 in 16 combined innings. It’s possible that Heaney could duel with Cole for several innings, but it’s hard to see the Rangers getting to Cole before the Yankees get into the Texas bullpen. Yankees to win.
Projected Pitching Matchup: Clarke Schmidt (0-2, 6.30 ERA) (NY) vs Jacob deGrom (2-0, 3.04 ERA) (TEX)
When: Friday, April 28, 8:05 pm ET
Where: Globe Life Field, Texas
Live Stream: MLB.tv
Clarke Schmidt has allowed at least three runs in each start this season, and he has only made it past the fourth inning once – on Sunday, when he threw 5 ⅔ innings against the Blue Jays. He did strike out eight, a season high, but he also allowed two home runs, so even though the three runs he permitted were unearned, he didn’t lock things down after the defense made some mistakes. He has allowed at least one home run in four of his five starts.
The Rangers have won all five games that deGrom has started, and his best start might have been his shortest, as he had a no-hitter going through four innings in Kansas City on April 17 before leaving with wrist soreness as a precaution. He returned on Sunday to throw six innings against Oakland, striking out 11 for the second time this season, and allowing just two runs (one earned) on three hits, including a home run. Rangers to win.
Projected Pitching Matchup: Jhony Brito (2-2, 6.11 ERA) (NY) vs Nathan Eovaldi (2-2. 5.20 ERA) (TEX)
When: Saturday, April 29, 7:05 pm ET
Where: Globe Life Field, Texas
Live Stream: MLB.tv
It’s been feast or famine for Jhony Brito this season. In three of his starts, he has permitted just two earned runs over 9 ⅓ combined innings, scattering eight hits while striking out 11. In his other two starts, he has given up 10 runs on nine hits, striking out one while walking four over just 3 ⅓ combined innings. In his last start, on Monday, he allowed three earned runs on three hits over 2 ⅔ innings in a 6-1 loss in Minnesota.
Nathan Eovaldi has thrown four quality starts in his first five outings with the Rangers. On Monday, he gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits over six innings, striking out seven while walking one against Cincinnati. If he can keep the ball down, the Rangers should be able to get to Brito, or to the Yankee bullpen early. Rangers to win.
Projected Pitching Matchup: Nestor Cortes (3-1, 3.49 ERA) (NY) vs Martin Perez (3-1, 2.60 ERA) (TEX)
When: Sunday, April 30, 2:35 pm ET
Where: Globe Life Field, Texas
Live Stream: MLB Network Alt., MLB.tv
In each of his five starts in 2023, Nestor Cortes has given up the same number of runs in his previous start – or more. On Tuesday, his most recent start, he went five innings in Minnesota, permitting four runs (three earned) on five hits, including a home run, striking out six and walking one in a 6-2 loss. His durability has been decent, but he’s finding more and more of the plate as the season goes by.
Martin Perez has only given up more than two earned runs once this season, and his most recent start, in Cincinnati, featured an impressive 6 ⅓ innings of six-hit, one-run (unearned) ball as he struck out five and walked one. The bullpen ended up giving the game away, but if Perez can get more help from his offense and the relievers, the Rangers should be able to get to Cortes. Rangers to win.
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