The Texas Rangers meet the Los Angeles Dodgers for their lone three-game regular-season series at Dodger Stadium in LA, so here’s the best Rangers vs. Dodgers betting pick for the opening clash set for Friday, June 11, with the first pitch at 10:10 PM ET.
The Dodgers are firm favorites to win Friday’s clash. The reigning champs sit at -258 moneyline odds on FanDuel Sportsbook, while the Rangers are +231 road underdogs with a total of 8.0 runs.
Texas is the worst team in the AL West
The Texas Rangers have been awful as of late, suffering 12 losses in their last 14 games overall. They are coming off a 4-3 home win over the San Francisco Giants, but the 24-39 Rangers are the worst team in the AL West by far, trailing 13 games behind the first-placed Oakland Athletics.
Over the last 15 days, the Rangers have recorded a horrible .541 OPS. During that span, Texas has also posted the worst batting average in the majors (.195). The Rangers are now scoring just 3.90 runs per game (24th in the majors) while yielding 4.76 in a return (21st).
Mike Foltynewicz will get the starting call Friday, and the 29-year-old righty will try to improve his 1-6 record out of 12 starts in 2021. Folty owns a 4.75 ERA and 1.34 WHIP and was charged for a loss in three of his previous four outings. He’s 1-2 with a 5.73 ERA in four career starts against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers need to cope with fatigue
The Los Angeles Dodgers finished a six-game road trip on Thursday night, as their closing contest of a three-game series at PNC Park in Pittsburgh had multiple rain delays (Los Angeles had a 6-3 lead in the top of the eighth).
The reigning champs won the first two games at PNC Park (5-3 and 2-1) to improve to 36-25 on the season. They were sitting at the second spot of the NL West standings, a couple of games behind the Giants and half a game ahead of the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers own the second-highest scoring offense in baseball, averaging 5.25 runs per game. Still, over the last two weeks, their batting average of .222 has been the seventh-worst in the majors. On the other side of the ball, the Dodgers surrender 3.84 runs per contest (7th) while posting a 3.21 ERA (3rd).
Clayton Kershaw will toe the rubber Friday, and the 33-year-old ace is 7-5 with a 3.66 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 13 starts this season. The lefty will look to avoid his third straight loss, and Kershaw lost his lone career start against Texas way back in 2015.
Trends:
Texas:
- 2-12 in the last 14 games overall
- 0-15 in the last 15 games on the road
LA Dodgers:
- 7-1 in the last eight games against Texas
- 12-5 in the last 17 games at home
Free Picks
I’m expecting the Dodgers to steamroll the Rangers in the opener. Texas is winless in 15 straight outings away from home, and with Mike Foltynewicz on the mound, I don’t think the Rangers are capable of beating the reigning champs or even cover a 1.5-run spread.
The current Dodgers are batting .415 and slugging .694 against Folty while posting a terrific 1.200 OPS. This is a nice opportunity for the Dodgers to get things going offensively after they’ve struggled a bit over the last two weeks.
Pick: Take Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 at -138
The Total:
The totals are a tricky wager here because of the Rangers’ toothless offense. On the other side, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dodgers score six or more runs on their own. I’ll take the over, but LA to cover remains my best betting pick.
Both Foltynewicz and Kershaw have been awful recently. While Folty has allowed seven earned runs over his last two starts and 10.2 frames of work, Kershaw has yielded five earned runs in each of his previous two starts.
Pick: Go over 8.0 runs at +100