Those who bet on college football will always check to see who the quarterbacks are in a matchup they’re considering betting on, and in the major leagues, starting pitchers are one of the most important things to monitor.  A pair of aces will take to the hill on Thursday when Minnesota heads to Texas to wrap up a four-game set between division leaders.

Twins Rangers Betting – Thursday, August 26, 8:05 PM ET

Francisco Liriano (11-7, 3.45) was roughed up a bit in a 7-6 win at home over the White Sox, but he took a no-decision by allowing five runs on six hits over five innings, walking four and striking out five in an inconsistent performance.  Liriano has pitched a lot over the last year or so, and the Twins are worried about a workload problem as this is the second time in three starts that he’s given up four runs or more.  The 26-year-old has faced the Rangers, making three starts, and he has a 1-1 record against them with a 4.74 ERA.  Four of his appearances have come in the Ballpark, where he earned his only decisions, and has an ERA of 4.50.

The arrival of Cliff Lee (10-7, 3.09) was big enough to make those who do offshore NFL betting stand up and take notice, and it’s made the Rangers an intriguing team to face in the playoffs.  However, he’s in a bit of a slump as he was rocked for eight runs on 10 hits over 5.2 innings in an 8-6 loss in Baltimore.  Lee was taken deep four times by the Orioles after not allowing a homer in his previous five starts, and he’s now given up 14 runs in his last 13.1 innings.  The 31-year-old southpaw is a solid 8-3 with a 3.40 ERA in 18 starts against the Twins, who saw plenty of Lee when he was in Cleveland.

MLB betting odds should favor the Rangers at the Ballpark, where they were 41-23 as of Wednesday.  Neither of these pitchers have been at the top of their game lately, for different reasons: Liriano may be being overworked, while Lee has a long (and well-deserved) leash from manager Ron Washington, and he probably should have been taken earlier in his last three starts.  Lee has also been an innings horse for last few seasons, and he is 31 years old, so it’s something to watch.  But Liriano has thrown over 200 innings in the past year after his past injury problems, so they may be getting worried.  We’re betting on Lee to get his act together before Liriano as he knows that he has to round into form before the playoffs come around.

Online sports betting pick: Texas