Dodgers Battle Rangers as they Fight for NL West Title
The Los Angeles Dodgers continue their fight for first place in the National League West when they clash with the Texas Rangers. Wednesday, August 29 at 8:05 PM ET Globe Life Park in Arlington Clear 82°F Wind: 7mph Blowing Out to L Odds: Dodgers -145-moneyline favorites. The Total is 9.5 -110.
Wood looking for first win since July 28
Alex Wood (7-6, 3.60 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) allowed three earned runs on seven hits (one home run). He had two walks with four strikeouts over four innings to get a no-decision in a 5-3 loss against the Cardinals on August 20. Wood has a 3.60 ERA in 11 road starts and a 3.20 ERA in 18 night starts. The Dodgers have scored 631 runs (7th in the majors). They are putting up 4.78 runs per game (6th), hitting .246 (17th) with 183 home runs (3rd). Los Angeles ranks 2nd with a 3.46 ERA, 2nd with a 1.17 WHIP and 3rd with 1269 strikeouts. Their bullpen ranks 13th with a 3.92 ERA. Max Muncy leads the Dodgers with 30 home runs. Yasmani Grandal has 21 home runs and 59 RBI and Cody Bellinger has 20 home runs, 62 RBI and a team-best 122 hits.Minor has been unhittable
Mike Minor (10-6, 4.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) threw six scoreless innings in last Wednesday’s 4-2 win against the Athletics. He surrendered one hit and a walk with four strikeouts. Minor is 5-2 with a 3.33 ERA in 12 home starts. Minor is 3-0 with a 2.41 ERA and an 0.71 WHIP in his last three starts. The Rangers have scored 630 runs (8th in the majors). They are putting up 4.74 runs per game (9th), hitting .244 (22nd) with 159 home runs (13th). Texas ranks 28th with a 4.97 ERA, 25th with a 1.40 WHIP and 30th with 929 strikeouts. Their bullpen ranks 18th with a 4.14 ERA. Joey Gallo leads the Rangers with 34 home runs and 78 RBI. Shin-Soo Choo has 21 home runs, 60 RBI and team-bests with a .390 OBP and 134 hits.
MLB Trends:
The Los Angeles Dodgers are: 1-7 in their last eight during game 2 of a series 2-5 in Wood’s last seven starts 1-4 in Wood’s last five starts during game 2 of a series 0-4 in Wood’s last four starts against American League West opponents 0-4 in Wood’s last four interleague startsThe Texas Rangers are:
6-2 in their last eight interleague home games against a left-handed starter 11-4 in their last 15 interleague home games against a team with a winning record 9-4 in their last 13 Wednesday games 4-0 in Minor’s last four starts 5-2 in Minor’s last seven starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance Alex Wood has pitched well as of late but he’s had some bad luck. Mike Minor has been one of the few bright spots for the Rangers this season. He is arguably their best pitcher. Minor is 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA and an 0.74 WHIP in his last four starts and we are getting him at plus money here. You just can’t pass on this much value. MLB Pick: Rangers +135 at Jazz Sportsbook Check odds here: https://goo.gl/dVwAAb Odds as seen on ESPN Chalk: https://ac.topaffiliates.net/adcenter?bannercode=JAZZ000&affiliatecode=0CB7FE&campaign=0&p=h