New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers Picks and Predictions May 20th 2025

Streaking Cody Bellinger Leads Yankees into Series with Rangers

Bellinger Brings the Heat to the Bronx

After a slow start to his Yankees tenure, Cody Bellinger is making his presence felt — and then some. The former MVP takes a career-best-tying 13-game hitting streak into Tuesday night’s series opener as the Yankees host the Texas Rangers for a three-game showdown in the Bronx.

Bellinger is batting a blistering .377 (20-for-53) over the streak and was instrumental in the Yankees taking two of three games from the rival Mets in the Subway Series. He went 7-for-11 with seven RBIs, including a grand slam in Sunday’s 8-2 win that sent Yankee Stadium into a frenzy.

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“He’s swinging at the pitches he needs to be swinging at, and his balance is where it needs to be,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I really think it’s as simple as that.”

Grand Slam Performance Fuels Confidence

Sunday’s series finale saw Bellinger reach base five times and tie a career high with six RBIs. His grand slam in the eighth inning was the ninth of his career and helped seal a big series win.

The Yankees are 7-3 over their last 10 games, and Bellinger’s red-hot bat has lifted his average from .196 to .258 — a sign that the slugger is finding his groove in pinstripes.

“I feel like his approach is a little better,” teammate Aaron Judge said. “He really knows what he’s looking for when he steps in the box, and when he gets what he’s looking for, he’s not missing it.”

Rangers Rally Under Bret Boone

The Rangers have shown new life under hitting coach Bret Boone — brother of Yankees skipper Aaron Boone — going 8-5 since he was brought in on May 5. After a shaky start, Texas has won seven of its last nine games.

Despite a 4-3 loss to the Astros on Sunday, the Rangers continue to trend upward. Jack Leiter’s electric 6 2/3 hitless innings stood out, even though the game slipped away late.

“Very unfortunate we don’t get the win on a getaway day,” Leiter said. “We’ve got a lot of things going good for us there.”

Texas saw its streak of eight straight games with a home run come to an end. Josh Jung and Jake Burger delivered RBI singles, but the bats were otherwise quiet.

Pitching Matchup: Warren vs. Corbin

Yankees right-hander Will Warren (2-2, 4.61 ERA) will make his first career start against Texas. Warren is heating up, having allowed just three earned runs over his last 12 1/3 innings. In his last outing against Seattle, he struck out a career-high nine batters.

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Texas counters with veteran lefty Patrick Corbin (3-2, 3.35 ERA), who has been remarkably consistent to start the season. Corbin hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his seven starts and struck out nine Rockies in his most recent outing.

Corbin is no stranger to the Yankees either, with a 2-0 record and a 2.30 ERA in five career starts against them — a stat that might still sting New York fans who recall the club’s failed pursuit of the southpaw in free agency after 2018.

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