Texas Rangers (62-81) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (80-63)
September 16, 2022 7:10 pm EDT
The Line: Tampa Bay Rays -146 / Texas Rangers +124; Over/Under: +7
(Get latest betting odds)
The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays meet Friday in MLB action at Tropicana Field. The Texas Rangers look for a win after splitting their last 8 games. The Tampa Bay Rays need a win after losing 5 of their last 7 games.
The Texas Rangers have scored 21 runs in their last 3 games and 4 or more runs in 5 of their last 6 games. The Rangers have split their last 6 games when scoring 4 or more runs. Nathaniel Lowe leads the Rangers with 162 hits and 69 RBI, while Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia have combined for 281 hits and 167 RBI. Martin Perez gets the ball, and he is 11-6 with a 2.77 ERA and 156 strikeouts this season. Perez is 3-6 with a 5.49 ERA and 67 strikeouts in his career against the Rays.
The Tampa Bay Rays have scored 14 runs in their last 3 games and 4 or more runs in 6 of their last 11 games. The Rays have won 11 of their last 13 games when scoring 4 or more runs. Randy Arozarena leads the Rays with 142 hits and 79 RBI, while Yandy Diaz and Harold Ramirez have combined for 241 hits and 108 RBI. Corey Kluber gets the ball, and he is 10-8 with a 4.36 ERA and 122 strikeouts this season. Kluber is 6-1 with a 3.21 ERA and 60 strikeouts in his career against the Rangers.
The Rangers are 16-43 in their last 59 games following an off day and 4-14 in their last 18 overall. The Rays are 36-15 in their last 51 home games and 1-5 in their last 6 overall. The under is 6-1 in Rangers last 7 road games. The under is 4-1 in Rays last 5 home games. The under is 5-2-1 in the last 8 meetings in Tampa Bay and 4-1-1 in the last 6 meetings.
Martin Perez has been sharp this season, but he’s lost 5 of his last 8 starts because he pitches for the Rangers, and they find ways to lose for a variety of reasons. The Tampa Bay Rays found their offense last night, and they need to keep winning to improve their playoff odds. Corey Kluber has been at his best at home, where he has a 3.74 ERA and .249 allowed batting average. Cheap price here. I’ll gladly take the Rays.
