Despite getting awful news about Jacob deGrom's season-ending Tommy John surgery, the Texas Rangers picked up a win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night, giving them a chance to sweep the series on Wednesday.
Texas is in first place in the AL West, and the team has been arguably the best offense in baseball this season, leading the league in runs scored.
St. Louis sits in dead last in the NL Central and has lost five straight games heading into this matchup.
Jack Flaherty (3-4, 4.55 ERA) gets the ball for the Cards in this game against Rangers righty Jon Gray (6-1, 2.51 ERA).
With Gray pitching well to start the season, should bettors expect a Rangers sweep?
Here's a look at the latest odds and my best bet:
Cardinals vs. Rangers odds, run line and total
Cardinals vs. Rangers prediction and pick
Both of these teams have been solid on offense this season, as the Cards rank ninth in the league in OPS and runs scored while the Rangers are No. 2 and No. 1 in those categories.
However, I think Texas has a starting pitching advantage in this Wednesday matchup.
Gray has been great over his last five starts, posting a 0.79 ERA while going 5-0. Texas is now 7-4 in his starts this season because of it.
St. Louis hasn't been able to figure things out all season, and Flaherty is unfortunately a part of that group. The veteran righty has struggled with walks (35 in 63.1 innings) pushing his WHIP over 1.50 on the season.
That's going to be an issue against an elite Texas offense, so I'll back the Rangers to complete the sweep tonight.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
