Mets vs. Rangers MLB parlay picks: Texas controls destiny for AL West title, cannot let guard down Tuesday

This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. The Mets can only play spoilers as they visit the Rangers tonight to open a series Sep 22, 2026 at 8:55 am ET • 4 min read There are 16 games around the majors Tuesday instead of the usual full slate of 15, but only a few involve at least one team still with much to play for in terms of playoff seeding. One such game is certainly the New York Mets opening a series at AL West-leading Texas, which eyes its first postseason trip since winning the World Series in 2023. It's an 8:05 p.m. ET first pitch from Globe Life Field. Bet $5+ on any of Tuesday's MLB games to get $150 in bonus bets when you bet at DraftKings Sportsbook:No weather worries as GLF has a retractable roof that is almost always shut (seems like most of them are). At DraftKings, Texas is taking 65% of handle and 82% of money line wagers at around -145, while the Over 8 is taking even bigger leans. I chose not to mess around with the full-game total.Fans can try MLB betting on the best sports betting apps and get bonuses. The SportsLine Projection Model also has picks on games like Mets-Rangers from its 10,000 simulations, and our experts also offer insights on games every day. Mets vs. Rangers MLB same-game parlayTexas money lineUnder 1.5 second-inning runsDrafKings SGP price: +109 (subject to change)There is nothing to see here about the Mets as they likely finish an embarrassing last in the NL East despite holding the biggest payroll in the major leagues. Interim manager Andy Green will return to the front office, so a manager will have to be found. The three names you hear most for the gig are Carlos Beltran (would be his second go-round technically, but he never managed a game in the first), Albert Pujols and Alex Cora. The Mets retired Beltran's No. 15 from his playing days in New York before Saturday's game. In reality, New York should want to lose out. Why? Because the Mets' 2027 first-round draft pick will drop 10 spots if it falls outside the top six selections due to the team surpassing the final luxury tax threshold. So if the Mets get a pick in the top six they keep it, and right now they have the sixth-worst record in the majors.It's veteran lefty Sean Manaea (5-7, 4.74 ERA) on the mound tonight for New York. He had been hit hard in five straight, allowing at least four earned in each, before a decent outing last time out in surrendering two runs over 5.1 innings in a no-decision vs. Baltimore. The 34-year-old hasn't seen the Rangers since 2024, and the SportsLine Projection Model has him at 5.7 innings, 5.6 strikeouts, 4.7 hits allowed and 2.3 earned runs tonight. Texas is 27-19 vs. lefties. Place your Mets-Rangers wagers and get up to $1,500 in bonus bets back at BetMGM Sportsbook:Thanks to winning two of three at home over the weekend against wild-card hopeful Toronto and the Astros getting swept three at home vs. Atlanta, the Rangers lead the AL West by a game over Houston. Texas, which hasn't won a division title since 2016, gets these three at home vs. the Mets and then three at playoff-eliminated Minnesota. The Rangers' magic number for the division is six. The Astros play two in Seattle and then four in Sacramento. The AL West second-place finisher still has a shot at a wild-card spot, but that's not looking likely. To just make the playoffs, the Rangers are -150. For the division - 140. Two regulars missed Sunday's loss to Toronto in outfielder Brandon Nimmo (illness) and DH Joc Pederson (hand), and they are day-to-day even though Pederson has missed the past seven games. He's still second on the club with 26 homers, while Nimmo leads in hits (148) and OBP (.325).Lefty MacKenzie Gore (8-11, 4.67 ERA) will make the biggest start of his five-season career tonight; this is Year 1 with the Rangers. The 27-year-old leads the club in starts (32) and innings (165.2) but hasn't gone more than four innings in his past three and dealt with muscle spasms during his last start. Gore played catch on Saturday and felt fine. Gore has been much better at home, going 4-2 with a 3.53 ERA in 15 starts, and the model forecasts him at 5.2 innings, 5.5 strikeouts, 4.8 hits allowed and 1.9 earned runs. He made two starts last year against the Mets (while with Washington) and didn't get a decision with a 4.35 ERA in 10.1 innings. Juan Soto is 3-for-15 off him with a homer and seven strikeouts. New York is 17-26 against southpaws. When the Rangers score at least four runs this year, they are 67-16 (.807) for the AL's second-best mark. They are 12-1 in the past 13 such games but have lost 13 in a row when scoring three runs or fewer. Texas is 8-0-1 in its past nine home series, and I believe it gets at least two of three here starting tonight. On the series line, it is -135. Bet on MLB and more at FanDuel, where bettors can get up to $250 in bonus bets:Went three legs on Monday's Blue Jays-Orioles parlay in this space to win +134 but will keep this one to two legs. I so prefer Under 1.5 runs in the second inning, I am learning, to the first because then in theory we get the bottom of the lineup and the pitcher has his first-inning jitters out of the way. The model has Rangers prevailing by a score of 4.6-4.1. Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter.