The Texas Rangers and Cleveland Guardians clash Friday in game 1 of an MLB series at Progressive Field. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

Texas Rangers Betting Preview

The Rangers look to build on their impressive 6-game winning streak. The Rangers are 0.5 games back in the AL West. The Rangers pitching staff is 17th in ERA (4.24), 10th in WHIP (1.26) and 10th in quality starts (61). The Rangers’ offense is 3rd in runs per game (5.56), 2nd in batting average (.267) and 6th in homers (208). Marcus Semien leads the Rangers with 169 hits and 88 RBI, while Nathaniel Lowe and Corey Seager have combined for 299 hits and 171 RBI. Jon Gray gets the ball, and he is 8-7 with a 3.96 ERA and 131 strikeouts this season. Gray is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA and 8 strikeouts in his career against the Guardians.

Texas Rangers Team Facts

• The Rangers have lost each of their last seven games at Progressive Field following a road win.
• The Rangers have failed to cover the run line in each of their last seven games at Progressive Field following a road win.
• The Rangers have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five games at Progressive Field against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Rangers’ last 11 games as road favorites.
• The Rangers have led after 7 innings in each of their last six games.

Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview

The Guardians need a win after losing 8 of their last 11 games. The Guardians are 8 games back in the AL Central. The Guardians pitching staff is 8th in ERA (3.95), 18th in WHIP (1.29) and 13th in quality starts (53). The Guardians’ offense is 28th in runs per game (4.02), 16th in batting average (.248) and 30th in homers (111). Steven Kwan leads the Guardians with 158 hits and 50 RBI, while Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez have combined for 275 hits and 126 RBI. Lucas Giolito gets the ball, and he is 7-13 with a 4.89 ERA and 177 strikeouts this season. Giolito is 3-1 with a 3.95 ERA and 25 strikeouts in his career against the Rangers.

Cleveland Guardians Team Facts

• The Guardians have won each of their last eight home games against the Rangers following a loss.
• The Guardians have covered the run line in each of their last eight home games against the Rangers following a loss.
• The Guardians have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last five games as home underdogs against AL West opponents.
• The Guardians have led after 3 innings in three of their last four games as underdogs.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Guardians’ last six night games at Progressive Field.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Cleveland Guardians rank 30th in the league for home runs this season (111).
• The Cleveland Guardians rank 1st in the league for strikeouts against this season (1037).
• The Texas Rangers rank 2nd in the league for hits this season (1357).
• The Texas Rangers rank 2nd in the league for doubles this season (306).

Randy’s Pick

Right when it looked like the Rangers were falling off a cliff, they respond with 6 straight wins and are back in the thick of a division race. Jon Gray has been respectful with an ERA under 4, and he’s been at his best on the road, where he has a 3.41 ERA and .220 allowed batting average. The Guardians just can’t string together offense, and the losses are piling up because of it. The Guardians are pretty much out of the playoff race and just can’t play with a sense of urgency most nights. The Rangers should keep the winning streak live on Friday night, putting more pressure on the Astros.