Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers: Who is winning the AL West series today?

The New York Yankees are visiting the Texas Rangers in the series opener tonight at Globe Life Field.

Is this the season for the Yankees?

The New York Yankees are on top of the AL East with a 79-58 record, including 37-29 at home 42-27 on the road. They have lost 4 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 14-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees have a 3.84 ERA, a .234 batting average, a .312 on-base percentage, and 1.26 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Aaron Judge is the best player on the team with 157 hits, 105 runs and league-high 51 home runs.

Can the defending champs save the season?

The Texas Rangers are third in the AL West with a 65-72 record, including 36-32 at home. They have won 5 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 6-4 win over the Oakland Athletics. Texas has a 4.29 ERA, a .238 batting average, a .313 on-base percentage, and 1.29 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Marcus Semien leads the team with 130 hits and 82 runs while Corey Seager is on top with 30 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Rangers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games overall, 5-2 SU in their last 7 home games, and 4-1 SU in their last 5 home games against the Yankees. Texas has played under the total run line in 5 of their last 7 games overall, 13 of their last 20 games against the Yankees, and has gone over in 10 of their last 12 games against teams from the AL East and 10 of their last 15 games as underdogs. The Yankees are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games overall, 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against the Rangers, and 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played on Monday. New York has played under the total run line in their last 6 games on the road and in 4 of their last 6 games against teams from the AL.

Prediction and Conclusion

The New York Yankees had a tough series against the Cardinals at home, not just losing the last two games but allowing a lot of runs, which barely happened this season. Now, they are going to Texas to face the defending champions, who are in a good run but have only theoretical chances of reaching the postseason. The Rangers will try to keep their winning streak alive with Jose Urena on the mound, who is 5-8 for the season with a 3.72 ERA, 65 K, 101.2 IP, and 1.34 WHIP. The Yankees will go with Gerrit Cole, who is 5-3 for the season with a 3.86 ERA, 69 K, 63 IP, and 1.33 WHIP. The Rangers are the team that really needs this game and are coming off a day off at home, while the Yankees needed to travel, which may make a difference in this game. Therefore, we go with the Rangers winning tonight.