Twins vs. Rangers Prediction, Odds and Probable Pitchers for Thursday, Aug. 15 (Trust Bailey Ober)

The Minnesota Twins currently hold the No. 2 wild card spot in the American League, and they’ll look to build on that when they face the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

The playoffs are looking less and less likely for the defending World Series champs, as they’ve dropped seven of their last 10 games and are 10 games back of the final wild card spot in the American League entering Thursday’s contest.

Bailey Ober gets the ball for the Twins in this one, and he’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last two months. Can he lead the Twins to a win in the series opener?

Here’s a look at the odds, key players to watch and my prediction for the final matchup of the night on Thursday.

Twins vs. Rangers Odds, Run Line and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Run Line

Twins -1.5 (+142)
Rangers +1.5 (-170)

Moneyline

Twins: -115
Rangers: -105

Total

8 (Over -112/Under -108)

Twins vs. Rangers Probable Pitchers

Minnesota: Bailey Ober (12-5, 3.52 ERA)
Texas: Cody Bradford (4-0, 3.60 ERA)

Twins vs. Rangers How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Aug. 15
Time: 8:05 p.m. EST
Venue: Globe Life Field
How to Watch (TV): FS1, Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports North
Twins record: 67-53
Rangers record: 56-65

Twins vs. Rangers Key Players to Watch

Minnesota Twins

Bailey Ober: Bailey Ober is in one of the best stretches of his career dating back to June 15, posting a 1.76 ERA over his last nine starts. Over that stretch, Ober has allowed just 32 hits and 13 walks while striking out 72 batters in 61.1 innings of work. The Twins are 7-2 straight up in those starts.

Texas Rangers

Corey Seager: The Rangers are not nearly as good as they were last season, but Corey Seager is still raking, hitting .274 with 26 home runs. His numbers are even better against righties like Ober, as he’s slashing .288/.389/.545 against them with 20 homers.

Twins vs. Rangers Prediction and Pick

This matchup features one of my favorite bets on the night, which I broke down in today’s Rounding the Bases – or MLB Straight Up Picks – for SI Betting:

The Minnesota Twins are slight favorites on the road on Thursday, and I think they'll give the reeling Texas Rangers some trouble tonight.

Texas has Cody Bradford on the mound in this one, and while the team is 5-1 in his outings, he's been used a little more like an opener in his last two starts, failing to pitch more than 5.0 innings.

That's an immediate concern since the Rangers' bullpen is downright awful, ranking 27th in MLB in bullpen ERA at 4.64.

Meanwhile, the Twins have gotten a ton out of Bailey Ober in the last two months, going 5-1 in his six starts while he's posted a 1.80 ERA, allowing three or fewer earned runs in each outing. Over that six-game stretch, Ober has allowed just 20 hits in 40.0 innings of work.

I expect him to dominate a Texas team that is just 3-7 in its last 10 games.

Pick: Twins Moneyline (-115)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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