Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers Pick

This game is the first of a three-game series, and the Rays come in hot winners of five in a row and 10 of their last 11 games. The Rangers are coming into this game after a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles in their previous series.

In their last game, the Rays won their 5th in a row with an 8-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. They scored eight runs on ten hits, and the Blue Jays scored three runs on six hits. Tampa Bay scored three runs in the first two innings, and Avisail Garcia was 3 for 4 with a HR and three RBI.

The Rangers completed the sweep of the Orioles in their last game beating them 10-4 in the series finale. They scored ten runs on 20 hits, and the Orioles scored four runs on seven hits. Four players for the Rangers had three hits in the game.

This season the Rays rank 17th in runs scored, and 2nd in team ERA and the Rangers rank 11th in runs scored and 22nd in team ERA.

Pitching Match-Up

Tampa Bay: Ryan Yarbrough (11-3 3.49 ERA)

Texas: Lance Lynn (14-10 3.81 ERA)

The Rays have won seven of Yarbrough’s last eight starts, and in his last one he gave up four earned runs on nine hits in six innings in a 5-4 win over the Orioles. He had a stretch of four outings only giving up two earned runs but has given up seven earned runs in his last two starts. Yarbrough has given up two or fewer runs in 10 of his previous 14 starts. He has not faced the Rangers this season and in four innings in a relief appearance last season he gave up three earned runs. The Rays have won six of his previous seven road starts, and they have won his last four starts against a team with a winning record.

The Rangers have lost Lynn’s last six starts, and in that span, he is 0-4. In his previous start, he gave up three earned runs on five hits in five innings in a 4-1 loss to the New York Yankees. He has only given up more than three earned runs in one of his last six starts, but, has not gotten much help from the lineup. Also, in his previous six starts, he has struck out 39 batters in 33 2/3 innings but has also walked 18 batters. Lynn faced the Rays in Tampa Bay on June 28th and pitched a gem tossing eight scoreless innings and only allowed three hits in a 5-0 Texas win. The Rangers have won 10 of Lynn’s last 14 home starts but have dropped his last two at home where he has totaled 11 innings and gave up four earned runs.

Betting Angles

• The Rays are 6-1 in their last seven games against the Rangers.
• The Rays are 4-0 in their last four home games against the Rangers.
• In the last seven games between these teams, the Under record is 5-1-1.

Straight Up / Over/Under / Run Line Records

Tampa Bay Rays: 86-59 SU / O/U 68-68 / Run Line W/L 73-72

Texas Rangers: 72-73 SU / O/U 65-76 / Run Line W/L 79-66

Key Betting Trends

• TB is 10-1 in their last 11 games
• TB is 1-4 in their previous five road games
• TB has an Over record of 4-0 in their previous four road games
• TEX is 4-0 in their last four games
• TEX is 7-3 in their previous ten home games against a left-hand starter
• TEX has an Under record of 5-2 in their last seven home games

Team Info

While the Rays are red hot, they will not catch the New York Yankees in the AL East trailing them by nine games. They are in the lead in the AL Wild Card 1.5 games up on the Oakland A’s and two games up on the Cleveland Indians.

Tampa Bay is coming off a 9-1 homestand, and while they are 16 games over .500 on the road, they have lost four of their last five road games. This is the first game of an eight-game road trip where after this series they head to LA to face the Angels and then the Dodgers. Austin Meadows and Tommy Pham are each riding eight-game hitting streaks.

Texas is out of the playoff picture, but they have been solid at home on the season where they are 11 games over .500.

The Rangers are coming off a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles where they outscored them 29-15. They have played well as of late, but they have only faced one team with a winning record in their last six series, and they lost two of three games in that series.

Key Injuries

RAYS

CF Kevin Kiermaier is probable for this game after leaving his last game with a neck injury, and 2B Eric Sogard is listed as questionable with a foot injury.

RANGERS

The Rangers have two relievers and one starter out for the season, OF Nomar Mazara is listed as questionable for this game with an oblique injury, and slugger Joey Gallo is still on the DL and will not come back until the middle of this month.