The Texas Rangers are visiting the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, June 5th at the George M. Steinbrenner Field in the third game of this series, with the Rays having a 2-0 lead. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s the Rangers vs Rays Prediction. We will examine:
The Tampa Bay Rays’ recent form and player performance
The Texas Rangers’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Tampa Bay Rays
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Texas Rangers
Recent betting trends in games played between the Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays game
Tampa Bay Rays Preview
The Tampa Bay Rays have a 32-29 record this season and are sitting in second place in the AL East. The Rays have a 20-19 home record and are 23-35 in over/under. They are coming off a 5-4 home victory over the Rangers, and are 3-1 in their last 4 games. Under is 5-3-1 in their last 9 games and are playing the Marlins and the Red Sox next.
The Rays have a .246 batting average this season, a .312 OBP, and a .389 slugging percentage. Tampa’s pitching staff has a 3.43 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Jonathan Aranda leads the Rays with 59 hits and is the team’s best hitter with a .326 batting average. Junior Caminero leads the team in RBI, with 38, and in home runs, with 14.
Ryan Pepiot (R) will take the mound for the Rays, and he has a 3-5 record, 3.21 ERA, and 1.16 WHIP. He has been weaker at home with a 3.64 ERA across 8 home starts, but he is coming off back-to-back shutout starts across 13.2 innings pitched. He got torched in his only start against the Rangers in his career back in 2024, giving up 6 runs in 5.2 innings of work.
Texas Rangers Preview
The Texas Rangers have a 29-33 record this season and are sitting in third place in the AL West. The Rangers have a 9-20 road record and 20-41 in over/under. They are coming off a 4-5 road defeat against the Rays, and are 1-3 in their last 4 games. Under is 5-3 in their last 8 games, and are playing the Nationals and the Twins next.
The Rangers have a .222 batting average this season, a .283 OBP, and a .356 slugging percentage. Texas’s pitching staff has a 3.17 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Josh Jung leads the Rangers with 52 hits, and he is the team’s best hitter with a .267 batting average. Adolis Garcia leads the team in RBI, with 27.
Jack Leiter (R) will take the mound for the Rangers, and he has a 4-2 record, 3.66 ERA, and 1.20 WHIP. He has a 3.86 ERA across four road starts, and he is coming off a shutout start against the Cardinals in 5.2 innings pitched. This will be his first career start against the Rays.
Why the Tampa Bay Rays will win
- The home team has won each of the last eight games between the Rangers and Rays.
- The Rangers have lost each of their last seven road games against AL East opponents.
- The favorites have covered the run line in seven of the Rays’ last eight games at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
- The Rangers have failed to cover the run line in four of their last five road games.
- The Rangers have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five road night games.
- The Rangers have trailed after 5 innings in eight of their last nine road games against AL East opponents that held a winning record.
- The Rays have won the first inning in three of their last four night games against AL West opponents.
Why the Texas Rangers will win
- The Rangers have won five of their last six games as underdogs against the Rays following a loss.
- The Rays have lost four of their last five games as favorites against the Rangers following a win.
- The Rays have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 10 games as home favorites against AL West opponents following a win.
- The Rangers have covered the run line in each of their last six games against the Rays following a loss.
Total Runs Facts
- Eight of the Rangers’ last nine games against AL East opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Seventeen of the Rays’ last 21 night games against AL West opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in nine of the Rangers’ last 10 games as underdogs against American League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Rays’ last seven Thursday games.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Rays rank 1st in the league for steals this season (86).
- The Rays rank 2nd in the league for walks allowed this season (161).
- The Rangers rank T29th in the league for hits this season (443).
- The Rangers rank 29th in the league for doubles this season (73).
Rangers vs Rays Prediction
The Rangers are 7-2 in their last 9 overall meetings against the Rays, but the Rays are 3-1 in their last 4 meetings in Tampa. Under is 7-3 in their last 10 meetings.
In this Rangers vs Rays Prediction, the Rays are coming as -150 home favorites. The Rays are rightfully favored, as they have a slightly better overall record, and the Rangers have been terrible on the road. The Rays won both games of this series, have a better bullpen, and have a better offense than the Rangers. The Rays are even better against righties, as they score 5 runs per game against right-handed pitching. This looks like another win for the home team, so take the Tampa Bay Rays on the moneyline in this one.