New York Yankees at Texas Rangers: Prediction, Player Props, & Betting Tips

By Sam Batz

On Thursday, April 27th the Texas Rangers will host the New York Yankees for their first meeting of the young season (8:05 PM EST, Bally Sports/MLB Extra Innings). Last year, the Yankees went 4-3 against Texas. The Rangers finished with a 68-94 record in 2022, while the Yankees went 99-63. New York is projected to make the playoffs this year, but the Rangers have less favorable odds when it comes to postseason qualification, even though they currently lead their division. New York is a -1.5 run favorite with a moneyline priced at -150, while Texas is a +1.5 run underdog with a moneyline priced at +140. 

Away Team: New York Yankees (-1.5; ML -150)

The New York Yankees are 14-11 (56.0%) through the first month of the MLB season. They may have a winning record, but the Yankees are 4th in the AL East, arguably the toughest division in the league. New York is tied for 5th (with the Minnesota Twins) in the American League, and tied for 6th (again, with the Twins) in the MLB. The Yankees give up 3.6 runs/game, and on Thursday, face a Rangers team averaging nearly double that with 6.42 runs/game. New York went 5-5 in their last 10 games, and are coming off a 3-game series with the Twins where the Yankees gave up 6 runs in each contest, and lost the series 1-2. 

Home Team: Texas Rangers (+1.5; ML +140)

The Texas Rangers are 14-10 (58.3%) and are leading the AL West. The Rangers are 4th in the American League, and are tied for 8th (with the NY Mets) in the MLB. According to FiveThirtyEight, after crunching the numbers, the Texas Rangers have a 37% chance to make the playoffs, and are projected to end the season with a 83-79 record. The Rangers haven’t been in the postseason since 2016, and would make it 7 straight years without a playoff berth if they miss out this season. But that’s a long ways down the road, and the Rangers are playing well through the first month, going 6-4 in their last 10 games, and winning 66.7% of their games at home. 

Yankees vs. Rangers Odds

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Yankees vs. Rangers: Season Stats

Yankees vs. Rangers: Betting Trends

Yankees vs. Rangers: Starting Pitcher Comparison

Yankees vs. Rangers: Player Props

Aaron Judge (Yankees CF): Over 0.5 Runs

Last year’s AL MVP is off to another solid start. He leads the Yankees with 18 runs, 6 home runs, and 14 RBI. Judge is batting .267 with an OPS of .881. He is averaging 0.96 hits per game, and 1.22 hits per game on the road. Judge is 1-7 (.143) against Texas’ Andrew Heaney, but went 3-4 on Wednesday, and will carry that momentum into Thursday’s matchup with the Rangers. 

Marcus Semien (Rangers 2B): Over 0.5 Hits

32-year old Marcus Semien leads the Rangers with 27 hits on 97 AB’s. He is averaging 1.13 hits per game this season, and is batting .278. Semien is 8-35 (.229) against New York’s Gerrit Cole, and I predict he will record at least 1 hit on Thursday.  

Yankees vs. Rangers Prediction

Take the New York Yankees to win the first game of the series against the Texas Rangers. With Gerrit Cole pitching, the Yankees are undefeated, and I expect that to continue against Texas on Thursday. Cole is having an excellent start to the season, and the Yankees fielders are playing well behind him. New York has committed 10 total fielding errors (0.42 per game), while the Rangers have 14 (0.61 per game). But based on their records, it should be a close game between the Yankees and Rangers, but if New York can get out to an early lead, Texas will have a tough time getting back into the game. 

Prediction: NY Yankees Moneyline (-150)

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