Marlins-Rangers Betting Preview

Playoff contenders who added pieces at the trade deadline - some bigger than others - meet when the Rangers and Marlins begin a three-game series in Arlington Friday night. Jordan Montgomery, newly acquired by the Rangers, makes his first start for Texas against fellow left-hander Jesus Luzardo for Miami.

MLB Betting Odds

Friday’s baseball betting market opened with Texas and Montgomery at around -135 over Miami and Luzardo, with an over/under set at 8.5 runs. Early betting action then shifted the odds in favor of the Rangers to -140.

Team Analysis

Miami Marlins

The Marlins are 1-1-1 over their last three series and 4-4 over their last eight games. At 58-52 overall, they currently trail Cincinnati by a half-game in the battle for the third and final National League wild-card spot. The Marlins are batting a ML-best .311 against left-handed pitching this season.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers are 1-3 over their last four series and 5-7 over their last 12 games. With a record of 63-46 overall, they lead the AL West by a game and a half over the second-place Astros. Texas is slashing .285/.358/.461 against left-handed pitching.

Pitching Match-Up

Texas Rangers - Jordan Montgomery

Montgomery, previously with St. Louis, is 10/21 on quality starts this season. In his last two starts, he gave up a combined 10 runs, leading to a Cardinals loss in both games. However, his game-by-game performances suggest a slightly better record than the Cardinals' win-loss record when he starts.

Miami Marlins - Jesus Luzardo

Luzardo is 11/22 on quality starts this year. In his most recent start against Detroit, he gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, but the Marlins came back to win that game 8-6. Over his seven starts prior to that, he allowed just seven earned runs and 28 hits in 42 2/3 innings, with 11 walks against 55 strikeouts.

Hitting and Bullpen Analysis

Hitting Stats

The Marlins are batting a ML-best .311 against left-handed pitching this season, while the Rangers are slashing .285/.358/.461 against left-handed pitching. Both line-ups are among the top three in baseball in this split, which suggests potential for higher scoring in the game.

Bullpen Performance

The Rangers' bullpen owns a 4.73 ERA this season, along with a 1.25 WHIP and a 2.97 K/BB ratio. On the other hand, the Marlins' bullpen has a 4.10 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and a 2.84 K/BB ratio.

MLB Betting Trends and Totals Report

MLB Betting Trends

The Marlins are 24-28 on the road this season and 13-12 against left-handed starters. Meanwhile, the Rangers are 37-20 at home and 18-11 against left-handed starters.

Totals Report

The unders are 55-51 in Marlins games this season, while the overs are 54-46 in Rangers games. At Globe Life Field, the totals are 31-19 this season.