Haven't had a blog in a while, haven't really been doing too good with them anyway so play at your own risk.
Tonight I have my eyes on the Rangers game in Kansas City against the Royals. This is the opening game in the series, starting on Monday night. The Rangers haven't been playing their best of late, losing 3 of their last 4 games after winning 4 straight games. The Royals come into this game struggling as they have all year, losing 2 of their last 6 games. They couldn't take advantage of playing against 2 struggling teams in the Indians and Tigers. The Rangers will be looking to start gearing up for the playoffs, as they still lead the AL West. I expect them to start heating up soon, especially with the return of one of their best hitters, Nelson Cruz. The Rangers are currently -200 favorites on the ML, while being -115 favorites on the RL. The run total is also set at 9 runs, which is a toss up for me.
CJ Wilson will be starting for the Rangers in this game, a pitcher who has outperformed expectations this year. A converted reliever, Wilson has a 13-5 record with a solid ERA of 3.02. Wilson has pitched even better on the road this year, with a 2.87 ERA and a .203 batting average against away from Texas. Wilson has been untouchable in his last starts, sporting a sparkling 1.21 ERA with a 0.81 WHIP. Another great stat for Wilson is the team record in his starts, which is now at 20-6 for the year.
Kyle Davies gets the starting nod for the Royals tonight, who has struggled all year long, pitching to a 5.41 ERA and a 6-8 record on the year. He has been even worse in his last 3 starts as well, with a 6.88 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP. Davies has been getting lit up all year long for the Royals, including getting pounded against the Rangers earlier this year. He pitched only 4 innings in his only start against the Rangers this year, giving up a total of 9 earned runs, while also surrendering 9 hits and 3 walks. I expect the Rangers to hit Davies hard again in this start.
One of the big reasons I like this play is the return of Rangers' Outfielder Nelson Cruz. Cruz is a huge part of their offense, driving in runs while also having the speed to steal bases. When healthy, Cruz puts the Rangers' offense over the top in my opinion, giving them another big bat to protect Hamilton and Vlad Guerrero. They simply don't have the depth to replace Cruz's bat, and I think that's one of the main reasons they struggled when Cruz was hurt.
For this game, I expect the Rangers to hit Davies early for some runs. I don't see the Royals scoring much however, with Wilson pitching well on the road all year long. The Rangers should be able to win this game somewhat easily, hopefully by multiple runs as well. For my pick, take the Rangers on the ML or the RL, which is what I am taking, on Monday night in Kansas City.
Tonight I have my eyes on the Rangers game in Kansas City against the Royals. This is the opening game in the series, starting on Monday night. The Rangers haven't been playing their best of late, losing 3 of their last 4 games after winning 4 straight games. The Royals come into this game struggling as they have all year, losing 2 of their last 6 games. They couldn't take advantage of playing against 2 struggling teams in the Indians and Tigers. The Rangers will be looking to start gearing up for the playoffs, as they still lead the AL West. I expect them to start heating up soon, especially with the return of one of their best hitters, Nelson Cruz. The Rangers are currently -200 favorites on the ML, while being -115 favorites on the RL. The run total is also set at 9 runs, which is a toss up for me.
CJ Wilson will be starting for the Rangers in this game, a pitcher who has outperformed expectations this year. A converted reliever, Wilson has a 13-5 record with a solid ERA of 3.02. Wilson has pitched even better on the road this year, with a 2.87 ERA and a .203 batting average against away from Texas. Wilson has been untouchable in his last starts, sporting a sparkling 1.21 ERA with a 0.81 WHIP. Another great stat for Wilson is the team record in his starts, which is now at 20-6 for the year.
Kyle Davies gets the starting nod for the Royals tonight, who has struggled all year long, pitching to a 5.41 ERA and a 6-8 record on the year. He has been even worse in his last 3 starts as well, with a 6.88 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP. Davies has been getting lit up all year long for the Royals, including getting pounded against the Rangers earlier this year. He pitched only 4 innings in his only start against the Rangers this year, giving up a total of 9 earned runs, while also surrendering 9 hits and 3 walks. I expect the Rangers to hit Davies hard again in this start.
One of the big reasons I like this play is the return of Rangers' Outfielder Nelson Cruz. Cruz is a huge part of their offense, driving in runs while also having the speed to steal bases. When healthy, Cruz puts the Rangers' offense over the top in my opinion, giving them another big bat to protect Hamilton and Vlad Guerrero. They simply don't have the depth to replace Cruz's bat, and I think that's one of the main reasons they struggled when Cruz was hurt.
For this game, I expect the Rangers to hit Davies early for some runs. I don't see the Royals scoring much however, with Wilson pitching well on the road all year long. The Rangers should be able to win this game somewhat easily, hopefully by multiple runs as well. For my pick, take the Rangers on the ML or the RL, which is what I am taking, on Monday night in Kansas City.
