After losing the first two games of the series, the Tampa Bay Rays will try to avoid their third-straight loss when they face the Texas Rangers. Despite those losses, the Rays are road favorites on Wednesday with a moneyline of -135, while the Rangers have a moneyline of +115. The game also has an over/under of 7.5 runs.
Tampa’s recent losses have dropped them to third place in the AL East. They’ve now lost four of their last six games, making them desperate to get back on track. That stretch has put the Rays six games behind the Yankees and now falling a half-game behind the red-hot Blue Jays.
Meanwhile, the Rangers got back to .500 with their two wins over the Rays this week. Texas was one of the top teams during the month of May, closing the month with six wins in the last seven games. Of course, there is still a long way to go with the Rangers seven games back in the AL West and two games out of a wild card spot.
Gray Day
Jon Gray will be on the mound for the Rangers as they try to get above .500. However, Gray has had a rough season, going 1-2 with a 5.56 ERA over his first seven starts. Things appear to be getting worse for Gray, who allowed five runs over six innings in his last start, hurting himself with three walks.
The good news is the Texas lineup is more than capable of picking up the slack, averaging 6.7 runs per game over the last seven games. Starts like Adolis Garcia, Corey Seager, and Marcus Semien are finally getting hot. On top of that, Nathaniel Lowe and Kole Calhoun are the team’s hottest hitters at the moment, giving the Rangers a deep lineup.
Spring Day
Lefty Jeffrey Springs is on the mound for the Rays on Wednesday, as he hopes to build on a great start to the season. Springs has made five starts and eight relief appearances, going 2-2 with a 1.62 ERA. But the transition to the rotation has been a smooth one for the southpaw, as Springs has allowed just two runs over his last three starts, covering 16.1 innings.
The question is whether Tampa’s lineup can get it going after being shut out on Tuesday, meaning the Rays have just 14 total runs in their last six games. On the season, Manuel Margot is the only Tampa regular with an OPS over .800. However, Margot and most of the hitters in Tampa’s lineup are struggling, with Wander Franco being the only Ray who’s been productive lately.
Bet on Momentum
With the success Springs has had lately, the Rays have a good chance to avoid a three-game losing streak. However, the Texas lineup has been hot enough lately to do some damage against him, while Gray may have a chance to put together a decent outing against a sluggish Tampa lineup.
On paper, the Rangers deserve to be underdogs in this game, but with the momentum they’ve built up recently, they have good value as underdogs to beat the Rays on Wednesday.
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.