Yankees vs Rangers: Rangers Try to Slow Down Yankees’ Gerrit Cole

• The New York Yankees have lost three of their last four games.
• The Texas Rangers are on a three-game losing streak.
• The Rangers will be without Mitch Garver and Corey Seager.

New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers Odds

Odds Taken from FanDuel Sportsbook

New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers Picks

• New York Yankees beat Texas Rangers 4-2.  
• Yankees cover the spread, Under 8 runs. 

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Yankees vs Rangers - Moneyline Analysis

The New York Yankees will travel south to face the Texas Rangers for the first time this season. These teams have nearly the same record, so this will be an intense game.

The Rangers enter this game with a 14-11 record. That puts them in fourth place in the AL East but tied for the third Wild Card spot with the Houston Astros. If they win this game and the Astros, they can take sole possession of the spot. On the other side, the Rangers are in first place in AL West with a 14-10 record. They will share first place with the Astros if they lose and the Astros win.

The Yankees lineup is full of great hitters, but they have underperformed through their first 25 games. They are averaging 3.84 runs per game and have a team average of .225. This is incredibly disappointing, given that they have Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, and DJ LeMahieu healthy and in their lineup. It is worth noting that Giancarlo Stanton is on the 10-Day IL, but that is not an excuse for their poor hitting. Judge and Rizzo have been hitting the ball well and have 11 combined home runs, but New York must see more consistent performance from the back half of the lineup.

Gerrit Cole will be taking the mound for the Yankees. He is having a tremendous start to the year and has the third-lowest ERA in baseball (0.79). Through five starts, Cole has only given up three earned runs. The Newport Beach, California native is coming off a scoreless outing against the Toronto Blue Jays. Cole threw 5⅔ innings and gave up four hits in the process. Those numbers are impressive, but his start before that was magical. Cole threw a complete game shutout against the Minnesota Twins and only gave up two hits. That may be the best start he has all season but is indicative of how well he is playing. The 32-year-old will have a tough matchup against this Rangers’ lineup but will still throw six or seven innings with limited damage.

The Rangers lineup has been firing on all cylinders this season. They are averaging nearly 6.3 runs per game and have a .264 team average. Texas has a lineup filled with power. They have three players (Marcus Semien, Josh Jung, and Adolis Garcia) with five or more home runs. This lineup has been surprisingly good this year. Outside of Semien, Jung, and Garcia, Nathaniel Lowe and Jonah Heim have also been threats at the plate. Not many teams have five reliable hitters in their lineup. It is also worth noting that shortstop Corey Seager is injured and will be a huge addition when he is healthy.

Andrew Heaney will get the nod for the Rangers. Heaney has a 4.34 ERA but is actually having a great season. He gave up seven earned runs in his first start of the season to the Baltimore Orioles but has only given up two earned runs in three starts since. He has not pitched more than six innings in a start this year but has been dominant on the mound. Heaney will not have a scoreless outing this time around, but he will not give up more than a few runs.

The Yankees have Gerrit Cole on the mound, so I must pick them to win this road game. Bet on New York.

Yankees vs Rangers - Over/Under Analysis

The over/under for this game is placed at eight runs. These teams are both filled with great hitters, but there will not be eight runs scored. Bet on the under. 

The Yankees will put up four runs in this game. Three of those runs will come off Andrew Heaney. Even though the New York lineup has been slow so far, they have shown some flashes of dominance. One of those flashes came in yesterday’s game, a 12-6 win against the Minnesota Twins. Obviously, 12 runs is an unreasonable expectation, but it makes three runs look very possible. New York will also score one run against the Rangers’ bullpen. They will probably face Texas’ reliever for more than three innings, so they will have plenty of opportunities to score.

The Rangers will score two runs in this game. One run will come off Gerrit Cole, and the other one will come off the Yankees’ bullpen. Cole is having an excellent season, but he is not perfect. He will give up a solo home run, or a couple of singles will knock in a run. The Yankees bullpen will only throw a couple of innings but will make a mistake or two, and the Rangers will capitalize on it.

Head-to-Head: New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers

How To Watch New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers

• What - New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers
• Where - Choctaw Stadium, Arlington, Texas
• When - Thursday, April 27, 8:05 PM
• How to Watch - MLB Extra Innings, MLB.TV, YES Network, Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports Oklahoma, Bally Sports New Orleans