Texas Rangers at Cleveland Indians 8/11/09

Texas Rangers (62-48) at Cleveland Indians (48-63)
Tuesday, 7:05 pm Eastern

Opening Line: Indians  -  117 ,  Total  10 Under - 120

The Texas Rangers are proving they are not going away this season as they have moved into the Wild Card race with the Boston Red Sox.  Texas is beginning a three-game series on Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians as they wrap up a 10-game road trip. Texas is coming off a huge series over the weekend as they took two of three from the Angels.  In addition to getting into the Wild Card race they are only 3.5 games behind Los Angeles in the American League West. "We wanted to win this series, and we got it done," manager Ron Washington said. "That's not easy to do against that team. They're a pretty good team. I think we are, too. In fact, I know we are."

The Rangers can’t afford to let up in Cleveland. "So far, so good, but we have a long way to go," outfielder Marlon Byrd said, "The name of the game is not beating the Angels, it's making the playoffs. We need to go into Cleveland and not have a letdown. We need to keep playing at a high level of intensity."

The Rangers could get Nelson Cruz back into the lineup on Tuesday. He has been out since last Monday.   Dustin Nippert gets the start for Texas on Tuesday.  He is 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA and is now in the rotation full time since the team designated Vicente Padilla for assignment. "I feel good that they believe in me and are giving me the opportunity," said Nippert, "I'm just going to take the ball every fifth day and try to give us a chance to win."

The Indians are also playing well. They are 12-6 in their last 18 games.  They send Aaron Laffey on Tuesday.  Laffey is 5-3 with a 3.58 ERA.  He is 3-0 at home with a 1.98 ERA.

Here is a look at the MLB Betting stats for Tuesday’s game. The teams have split their last 10 meetings but all of those games were in Texas. The Rangers are 5-2 in their last 7 vs. the American League Central.

The Indians are 9-19 in their last 28 games vs. a right-handed starter. The Indians are 7-2 in Laffey’s last 9 starts as a home favorite.

The Under is 16-5-3 in the Rangers last 24 vs. the American League Central. The Under is 8-3-1 in the Rangers last 12 road games. The Under is 4-1 in Nippert’s last 5 starts overall. The Over is 11-3-3 in the Indians last 17 overall. The Under is 8-3-1 in the Indians last 12 home games. The Over is 8-1-1 in the last 10 meetings between the two teams.

Pick: Rangers - For more MLB Picks visit BangTheBook.com