Texas Rangers vs Minnesota Twins Picks and Predictions August 16th 2024

From Globe Life Field in Arlington, we have the Twins and Rangers facing off in an AL matchup. This one gets started at 8:05 PM ET and is being televised on BSN.

Minnesota is 68-53 this season, which has them 2nd in the AL Central, while the Rangers are 3rd in the AL West with an overall record of 56-66. Andrew Heaney is starting for the Rangers, and the Twins are going with Simeon Woods Richardson. Minnesota is currently a slight money line favorite, with their odds sitting at -103 compared to the Rangers at -116. The over/under line is at 8.5 runs.

Minnesota vs. Texas Key Information

Right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson gets the start for the Twins today as he faces the Rangers on the road. He has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 3-3 with a 3.78 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .230 off Woods Richardson this season. In his 20 appearances, he has turned in seven quality starts and is averaging 8 strikeouts per nine innings. Woods Richardson’s last outing came on August 10th, where he took the loss, giving up two earned runs in seven innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least three earned runs in three straight starts.

Over his last five games, Byron Buxton has gone 4/15 with two homers and three RBIs. For the season, he is batting .275, which is 6th on the team, and his 16 homers are 2nd on the team. Ryan Jeffers also has 16 homers and is the team’s leading run producer, with 53 RBIs. However, he is batting just .225 for the season.

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Carlos Santana and Byron Buxton are both tied for 2nd on the team with 16 homers, with Santana batting .242 and Buxton at .275. Max Kepler has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/30 in his last eight games. Willi Castro has two homers in his last nine games but is batting just .211 during that stretch.

Left-hander Andrew Heaney gets the start for the Rangers today as he faces the Twins at home. He has made 23 starts this year and has a record of 4-12 with an ERA of 4.05. Looking at his overall numbers, Heaney has a WHIP of 1.23 and has turned in six quality starts. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.62 strikeouts and 2.55 walks. In his last outing, Heaney took the loss, giving up three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight starts.

Adolis Garcia has been swinging a hot bat for the Rangers of late, going 16/38 in his last 10 games with two homers and six RBIs. For the season, he is 2nd on the team with 20 homers but is batting just .227. Corey Seager leads the team with 63 RBIs and is 1st on the team with 26 homers. However, he is batting just .274 and has gone 9/38 in his last nine games.

As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.3 runs per game and are batting a collective .239. Their team on-base percentage of .308 is also below the league average. Overall, they are 13th in home runs and have been pretty good at avoiding strikeouts this season.

Today’s Twins and Rangers matchup should feature plenty of offense, as this is projected to be the 9th highest-scoring game of today’s league slate. For an over/under pick, our lean is on the over. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Twins to pick up the win. Looking at today’s starters, we have Andrew Heaney as the 7th best strikeout option compared to Simeon Woods Richardson (15th).

Twins Rookie Woods Richardson Looks to Follow Up Strong Outing Against Rangers

Minnesota Twins rookie Simeon Woods Richardson is set to take the hill on Friday night against the Texas Rangers in the second game of a four-game series in Arlington, Texas. After a line of intense trips where wins have evaded him, Woods Richardson will mean to expand on late strong exhibitions and secure his fourth win of the time.

Woods Richardson’s Recent Performances

Woods Richardson (3-3, 3.78 Period) has confronted a few difficulties in his tenderfoot season, especially over his last seven beginnings where he has gone 0-2 with a 4.46 Time. Regardless of these battles, the 23-year-old right-hander has shown glimmers of brightness, especially against superior grade groups.

On July 7, he held the strong Houston Astros setup to only two runs north of six innings, leaving the game with the score tied. The Twins proceeded to dominate that match 3-2 with a stroll off run in the 10th inning. Later in the month, on July 23, Woods Richardson pitched six shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, just to see the warm up area surrender three late runs in a 3-0 loss. Most as of late, on Saturday, he restricted the Cleveland Gatekeepers to two runs north of seven innings, however the Twins fell 2-1 in another close challenge.

Reflecting on his recent outings, Woods Richardson said, “Just doing my job. Trying to stay as consistent as possible. I feel pretty happy given where we’re at in the season with how my stuff is playing. Yeah, I’m happy about that, but the job’s not finished. One day at a time, one game at a time. We’ve still got our main goal. We’re not done yet.” His consistency and ability to keep the Twins in games have earned him the respect of his teammates, including catcher Ryan Jeffers, who noted,

“Seemingly, every time he pitches, he gives us as an offense the ability to win a game. And that’s all we can ask from any starting pitcher.”

Twins’ Recent Success and Series Outlook

Woods Richardson will be looking to replicate the success of his teammate Bailey Ober, who delivered a strong performance in Thursday’s series opener. Ober limited the Rangers to two runs over six innings, marking his 10th consecutive quality start, as the Twins secured a 3-2 victory.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged the challenge posed by the Twins, commenting,

“It’s a good team over there. They have good pitching. They pitched well (Thursday) night. We pitched well, too, against a good-hitting ballclub. We’ve just got to find a way to put another run or two across the board.”

The Rangers have battled as of late, losing four of their last five games, including Thursday’s series opener. In spite of taking a mid 2-0 lead in the main inning, Texas couldn’t produce any extra offense and at last missed the mark. A 10th inning rally from the Twins, covered by a fielder’s choice from Carlos Santana, fixed the success for Minnesota.

Bochy lamented the missed opportunities, saying, “We just couldn’t get anything going after the first inning. Had a couple chances there and couldn’t get another hit to tack on or add another run or two. … It’s a tough one. They scored a cheap run there in the ninth, and (we) just couldn’t get much going against their bullpen.”

Pitching Matchup: Woods Richardson vs. Heaney

The Rangers will counter with left-hander Andrew Heaney, who has had an up-and-down season. Heaney (4-12, 4.05 ERA) is coming off a tough outing where he allowed four runs (three earned) and five hits in just 4 2/3 innings in an 8-7 loss to the New York Yankees last Sunday. While Heaney has struggled this season, he has historically fared well against the Twins, posting a 1-0 record with a 2.83 ERA in six career appearances (five starts) against Minnesota.

Woods Richardson, on the other hand, will be facing the Rangers for the first time in his career. He’ll look to continue his recent trend of strong performances and give the Twins another chance to claim a victory in this pivotal series.

Key Storylines

As the series advances, the emphasis will be on whether Woods Richardson can keep up with his structure against an intense Texas setup and assist the Twins with getting another success. The Twins’ pitching staff has been a strength, and in the event that Woods Richardson can emulate Ober’s example, Minnesota could set themselves in a solid situation to take the series.

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For the Rangers, the test will be to reignite their offense and give Heaney enough run help to snap their new pallet. With the two groups competing for urgent successes as the season slows down, Friday’s game is ready to be a critical matchup in deciding the heading of the series.

Conclusion

Woods Richardson’s beginning on Friday night presents a chance for the Twins to proceed with their triumphant ways and gather speed as they head into the last stretch of the time. In the mean time, the Rangers will be hoping to quickly return and try not to fall further behind as they continued looking for postseason situating. With the two groups doing combating for each success, this game vows to be an astonishing and closely challenged issue.