Kenny G urged listeners to back the Rangers at –165 because Nathan Eovaldi gives Texas a clear edge over Cleveland’s struggling Slade Sikoni. Eovaldi is 11-3 with a 1.76 ERA and just silenced Toronto for seven innings of two-run, zero-walk ball. Sikoni, meanwhile, has been "dismantled" in consecutive starts, surrendering ten runs across 7.2 innings to the White Sox and Braves and now owns a 4.50 season ERA. Texas pairs its ace with a bullpen that ranks fifth in MLB ERA and a 37-26 home record; Cleveland’s bats are last in average and second-to-last in OBP, scoring two runs or fewer in three of the last five games. Kenny projects Texas to put up “five or six” against Sikoni and called this play close to his lock of the day, predicting a comfortable Rangers win.

Lindquist laid -1 with Texas behind Nathan Eovaldi, noting the Rangers have won eight straight Eovaldi starts. The right-hander sports a sub-2.00 ERA, 2.86 xwOBA and microscopic 4.5% walk rate that ‘never beats himself.’ Opposing rookie Slade Cecconi brings a 3.73 xwOBA, 5.33 xSLG and 12.9% barrel rate, numbers Lindquist calls unplayable. For only 45 cents more than the money line, he prefers the -1 to avoid pesky extra-inning pushes in a ballpark that suppresses offense for both sides.