The first two meetings of this four-game set between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees have gone in favor of the former. And now with the third encounter upon us, it’s going to be interesting to see if the Yankees can finally make a mark in this series when they put their trust on Masahiro Tanaka. Can he pull through for them, or will the Rangers win it again? Read on below for a detailed look at this American League matchup.
Meanwhile, don’t forget to checkout today’s edition of the Best Games To Bet On afterwards.
Stepping on the mound for the Texas Rangers is Nick Martinez (1-1, 5.54 ERA). He surrendered four earned runs and three walks through six innings of work in a gut-wrenching 8-7 loss to the Red Sox last Friday. Martinez, who is 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA on the road this season, hopes for a better result when he faces the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium later tonight.
The Rangers, needless to say, better deliver some much-need runs at the plate considering that Martinez has yet to find some consistency this year. That being said, the hot bats of Ian Desmond and Adrian Beltre ought to keep producing the goods.
Desmond, who currently leads the team in batting (.326), homers (14), runs batted in (51), OBP (.377) and hits (99), has gone 4-of-9 with two RBIs and one homer in the previous two games. Beltre, meanwhile, is 4-of-10 with five runs batted in and one home run in the same stretch.
Texas is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games overall. The Rangers are also the top favorites (+300) to win the American League title.
Betting on the New York Yankees (37-39)
The New York Yankees have to be pleased with the fact that Masahiro Tanaka (5-2, 3.01 ERA) is handling the ball for them this evening. He’s pitched solidly in his previous two starts, yielding just a total of four runs along with 12 strikeouts. The Yankees, who are priced at +1,200 to win the AL East crown, went 2-0 in that brief span.
However, Tanaka could be in for a rude awakening when he steps on the rubber versus the visiting Texas Rangers. After all, the undrafted Japanese starter’s lone career start against them didn’t go so well. And making things bleaker is the fact that he’s struggled playing at home this season, too. The 27-year-old righty owns a 2-1 record with a 4.59 ERA through eight starts in the Bronx.
In any case, the Yankees need to get things going on offense. Look to the Carlos Beltran, who has gone 4-of-5 in the past two outings, to lead the charge in doing so.
Beltran carries team-highs of .297 batting average, 19 home runs, 53 RBIs and 78 hits this season. He also boasts a career triple-slash line of .311/.376/.524 versus the Rangers.
The Pinstripers are 4-1 SU in its last five home games with Tanaka starting.
