Rangers vs Giants Pick: Leiter Meets Hicks in Rubber Game of Series (Apr 27)

• In our Rangers vs Giants pick, we determine if Jack Leiter retains his form for Texas as he returns from injury
• San Francisco sends veteran fireballer Jordan Hicks to the mound
• Both teams are likely to be in the MLB playoff race late into the season
• The clubs split the first two games of the weekend series

Leiter Returns From Injury To Make the Start

Jack Leiter made two starts, pitching 10 innings, giving up 6 hits, 1 run, walking 1, and striking out 10 before a finger injury sidelined him for nearly a month. If those starts were any indication, he is living up to the potential that made him the second overall pick in the 2021 draft.

The Giants have never faced Leiter.

The Rangers are still waiting for several key bats to start hitting. Jake Burger is below .200, and Marcus Semien is even worse. Joc Pederson has been so terrible that he’d be sent down if he were a young player with options. He might get released if he weren’t signed to a 2-year, $37 million contract.

Hicks Tries to Find His Form

After an excellent first start in which he threw 6 innings, gave up 1 hit, no runs, walked 1, and struck out 6, Hicks has been horrid. In his last start against the Brewers, he gave up 6 runs in 5 innings. Overall, his ERA is a ghastly 6.59. He’s not far away from heading back to the bullpen where, perhaps, he belongs.

Hicks has never given up a hit against the Rangers. Pederson is 0 for 8, and Kyle Higashioka is 0 for 5.

The Giants’ strength has been the bullpen. Tyler Rogers, Randy Rodriguez, Erik Miller, and Hayden Birdsong all have minuscule ERAs. Closer Camilo Doval seems to have regained his All-Star form.

As much as several Rangers are struggling at the plate, so too are several key bats for San Francisco. Patrick Bailey is batting .171. Matt Chapman is batting .221.

On the positive side, Jung Hoo Lee is hitting .327 with a .946 OPS. Wilmer Flores has 7 home runs and 27 RBIs.

Rangers vs Giants Pick: Leiter Will Hit the Ground Running

While Leiter will likely be on a pitch limit, he will go deep enough into the game to hold the Giants down and then hand it to the bullpen. Hicks has been so bad that the Rangers will put up 4-5 runs against him.