Texas Rangers vs. Cleveland Guardians Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 6/8/2022

Time: 7:10 p.m. ET

Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

Where to watch: Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports Great Lakes

DraftKings: Guardians -155, Rangers +135

BetMGM: Guardians -165, Rangers +135

Caesars: Guardians -161, Rangers +140

Rangers: 26-29

Guardians: 25-26

It has taken nearly two months. Two long, agonizing months of a batting average just hovering around .200 or worse for the better part of this season. In one doubleheader in Cleveland on Tuesday, it happened.

Marcus Semien arrived as a member of the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers split the doubleheader on Tuesday with the Cleveland Guardians, losing Game 1 by a final of 6-3, but coming back with a 6-3 win of their own in the nightcap. And in the midst of all that, Semien -- the prized free agent acquisition who has struggled plenty this year -- hit three total home runs and had seven hits in the two games.

In the nightcap, Semien went 4-for-4 with two homers and a walk, providing more than enough offense for Taylor Hearn to go 5.2 innings and strike out six for the win.

Since hitting his first homer with the Rangers 44 games into his tenure, Semien has taken off in a big way. He's hit five in his last 10 games, including the three on Tuesday. The MVP candidate last season tied a franchise record with those seven hits in the doubleheader, joining the likes of Marlon Byrd and Fred Valentine.

“I think doubleheaders can be crazy like that,” Semien said. “You just show up and the swing feels good, and you're getting pitches to hit and taking balls. I felt that way in the first game, and I didn't change anything in between games. I just kept the same mindset and felt good.”

The Rangers have been one of those teams that not many expected to make the playoffs, but improve enough with the additions of Semien and Corey Seager. So far, they're a near-.500 team with plenty of room left to grow. Seager and Semien have taken turns being hot and cold at the plate, but if Semien can recapture that form from last year, the middle of the Rangers lineup becomes a unit no one wants to face.

“We’ve had good conversations about [Semien’s early struggles],” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “He's not a big mechanics guy. It's more like his feel, and when he feels good, you can see it. He can turn around a speeding bullet. There’s not a pitch he can’t hit… With Marcus, there's complete trust in those swings that I saw today.

“That had come and gone a little bit over early on. He was feeling a lot of pressure obviously being here, the weight of the world a little bit, with the contract and everything. Today that was that full-go, with no fear of letting that swing go. When he's like that, that's the guy I remember not wanting to see come to bat when he's on the opposing team. That's a good sign moving forward.”

So is a good sign for the Rangers to bounce back after a rough go early in the day. Jon Gray did not pitch well in the opener against Cal Quantrill, but Hearn was efficient enough to get a much-needed win for himself. The Rangers had no problem going off on Guardians rookie Kirk McCarty in his first MLB start.

"Just thought he made some mistakes," Guardians manager Terry Francona said. "He's got to be really efficient. You give some of those guys a 5-6 pitch look and they get pretty dangerous."

Rain permitting, it will be Dane Dunning taking on Shane Bieber in the third game of the set. That doesn't sound fun for the Rangers given how good Bieber is this season, and has been for his career. 

I'm very interested to see what Semien does in this third game, and if he can keep this up while pacing his offense. If Texas can get some runs early against Bieber and give Dunning some confidence on the mound, I can see the Rangers winning another one. Rangers win 8-5

Rangers are 12-5 this season as an underdog between +125 and +175.

Rangers are 13-22 against AL Central opponents the past three seasons.

The under is 10-8 this season when the Guardians are a favorite.

Rangers:
Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Mitch Garver (R) DH
Kole Calhoun (L) RF
Jonah Heim (S) C
Adolis Garcia (R) CF
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Ezequiel Duran (R) 3B
Steele Walker (L) LF
SP - Dane Dunning

Guardians:
Myles Straw (R) CF
Amed Rosario (R) SS
Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
Owen Miller (R) 1B
Andres Gimenez (L) 2B
Oscar Gonzalez (R) RF
Richie Palacios (L) DH
Luke Maile (R) C
Steven Kwan (L) LF
SP - Shane Bieber

Batting average: Nathaniel Lowe -- .265

Home runs: Corey Seager -- 11

RBI: Adolis Garcia -- 36

Wins: Martin Perez -- 4

ERA: Martin Perez -- 1.56

Batting average: Jose Ramirez -- .280

Home runs: Jose Ramirez -- 14

RBI: Jose Ramirez -- 53

Wins: Nick Sandlin -- 4

ERA: Triston McKenzie -- 3.10