ODDS ANALYSIS
Finding themselves in last place in the AL Central wasn’t quite what the Indians had planned entering the season with lofty expectations after a surprising 2014. Their ace Cory Kluber may have turned the corner Wednesday with his magnificent outing, allowing one hit with 18 strikeouts in eight shutout innings in a 2-0 win over St. Louis, now the team is looking to do the same. Cleveland, along with Oakland, has been the least profitable team in the majors in the red 12.41 units on the moneyline and the Tribe is looking for its longest win streak since taking the final two games of a season-opening three-game set in Houston. The Indians ended a string of 10 straight over plays by cashing the under Wednesday and are 19-14 on the over for the season.
The Rangers won for the seventh time in 10 games, all as the underdog, knocking off the Central Division-leading Royals 5-2 on Wednesday, inching closer to the .500 mark following a 3-10 stretch that had many thinking back to a disastrous 2014. But this is a different Rangers team with a much better pitching staff that’ll keep them in most games. The Rangers are in the black 6.64 units in their 10-game run pushing their total for the year up 0.69 units. Texas played the over six times in their last eight games and is 17-15-2 this season. However the under is 4-0 in Wandy Rodriguez’s four starts.
PITCHING MATCHUP
The Indians have decided to give veteran Bruce Chen (0-1, 13.50 ERA) another start after he was lit up for 10 hits and six earned runs in four innings in a loss to the Twins on Saturday. Chen had been pitching well at Triple-A Columbus before getting called up for his last outing.
The 17-year veteran had a horrible 2014 with Kansas City posting a 7.45 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in 48.1 innings, and his career numbers against the Rangers are worse. In six starts over 11 games, Chen is 2-3 with an ERA of 8.45.
Wandy Rodriguez (1-1, 2.70 ERA) was solid in a win against the Rays on Sunday giving up only one run on two hits over six innings with six K’s. He retired the first 15 batters he faced, setting a Rangers record with 34 straight batters retired. He’s been sharp in his four starts showing he still has something left in the tank after the Rangers picked him up off the scrap heap.
Rodriguez has pitched in 262 games during his 11-year career but has never faced the Indians.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“Just a gutsy performance by a veteran pitcher. He has been through battles before, that’s why we went out and got him. He is a guy I’ve seen pitch through a lot of different things. When he is on, he is really good.” – Rangers manager Jeff Banister on Wandy Rodriguez, who pitched much of his last outing with lower back pain.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
Indian’s starter Bruce Chen’s better days are behind him and the Rangers have started smacking the baseball. A combination that has the Rangers putting up some early runs in a hitter-friendly yard. Chen was roughed up for 10 hits and six runs in just four innings his last time out but his decline started last season when he allowed 69 hits in 48.1 innings, had a 7.45 ERA and allowed opponents to hit .343 against him. With Rangers hitters Adrian Beltre, Shin-soo Choo, Leonys Martin and Prince Fielder heating up, it could be a wild ride in the early going for the Tribe and Chen. Look for the Rangers to pounce on the fragile Indians starter.
PROP TALK
Sometimes it takes just a little longer for the older guys to get going but Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre is showing signs that he’s on the move. Over his previous four seasons with the Rangers the 36-year old Beltre didn’t hit below .296, and that was his in his first year with the club. He struggled in April ending the month with a .205 batting average but it’s been a different story since the calendar page turned. Beltre hit safely in 11 of the first 13 games in the month of May with six multi-hit games, raising his average to .250. Still well below his .286 career mark, but far better than where he was just two weeks ago. Three of Beltre’s nine career hits off Bruce Chen have been homers and the power stroke is back, so look out. Don’t be surprised if Beltre goes yard off the Tribe’s lefty.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
More was expected from the Tribe this season but it’s been a rocky start. They’re young pitching staff, which was supposed to be the backbone of their resurgence, hasn’t quite matched its success from a season ago and now they’re turning to a 37-year-old veteran to try and get them a win. I like the Indians and they might make a run, but Bruce Chen has seen better days and they don’t have enough offensive firepower to catch up for the runs he allows.
The Rangers took a punch to the stomach even before the season began when ace Yu Darvish was lost for the year after Tommy John surgery. Not that he would’ve won them a pennant, but when your top hurler is done before he gets started it kinda puts a damper on the season. Texas had a lot of luck the past two seasons – all bad – and it’s time for that to change. We’re seeing signs of a breakout with Adrian Beltre and Shin-soo Choo at the top of the lineup and Friday’s starter Wandy Rodriguez has been excellent since being inserted into the rotation.
Texas 8, Cleveland 3
BookMaker will be the first online sportsbook to send out the baseball odds for this marquee matchup. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, player props and inning totals. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem, BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The ballgame between the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers will take place Friday, May 15, 2015, at 8:05 p.m. ET at Globe Life Park in Arlington. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
