Rays vs Rangers Predictions, Picks, Odds: Rays Get Wrangled by Rangers

The Texas Rangers will try to complete a three-game sweep when they host the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon.

The Rangers (57-39) have now won five straight, including a 5-3 win over the Rays on Tuesday. Tampa Bay (60-38) continues to struggle in July, but still holds the best record in the American League and a one-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East. 

Tampa Bay will turn to Zack Littell to lead a bullpen game in the hopes of turning their fortunes around. We’ll take a look at what that means for this matchup in our free MLB picks and predictions for Rays vs. Rangers on July 19.

Rays vs Rangers odds

Rays vs Rangers predictions

The Rays are no strangers to using openers and navigating their way through bullpen games. They were one of the forerunners of the tactic of throwing out a reliever to face the top of the order in the first inning before bringing in a starter in the second or third to take the bulk of the innings.

Since coming over from the Boston Red Sox, Zack Littell has been used a couple times in this role by Tampa Bay, with mixed results. While he managed to go two strong innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 29, he gave up two runs on four hits over two innings against the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this month.

Overall, Littell simply hasn’t been effective for the Rays. On the year, Littell is throwing to a 6.05 ERA. When we take out his three innings of work with Boston, the numbers get only slightly better, as he has a 5.51 ERA in 16 1/3 innings for Tampa Bay. For a team that allows just 3.84 runs per game — the lowest mark in the majors — it’s a bit of a mystery as to why Littell has a role on the Rays staff.

Even if Littell gets through his two innings of work and places the ball in more capable hands, this afternoon’s game will be an uphill battle for Tampa Bay. Not only are the Rangers riding a five-game winning streak, but they have the best run differential in the majors, and hold a 32-18 record at home. 

Texas will also be putting a real starting pitcher on the mound. Jon Gray will get the ball for the Rangers, and will be looking to continue what has been the best year of his career so far. The 31-year-old righty is putting up the best ERA of his career (3.45), as well as a strong 1.152 WHIP. While he’s the No. 3 starter in the Texas rotation, he has offered stability behand Nathan Eovaldi and Dane Dunning, averaging 5.82 innings per start.

The Rays were already in trouble coming into this game, as they’re floundering while the Rangers are flying high. This pitching matchup only makes things worse, as Texas should be able to find success against Littell and the relievers who follow him. I’m betting on Texas to complete the sweep at home this afternoon.

My best bet: Rangers moneyline (-113 at Unibet)

Rays vs Rangers same-game parlay

Rangers moneyline

Rangers F5 moneyline

Under 9.5

+338 at FanDuel

For my same-game parlay, I’m going to stick with picking the Rangers to win this game. Texas has a clear edge here, and we’re not paying much of a premium to take them on the moneyline, so that’s a great place to start in our SGP. 

The Rangers should have an edge early in the game, when they get to hit against Littell. If Texas can take advantage of their opportunities in the first couple of innings, then they’ll also be a big favorite to win the first half of the game. I’m taking Texas to win the first five innings on the moneyline as well.

Finally, I’m taking the Under to round out the parlay. Neither of these teams has been scoring a ton of runs lately, and while I’m low on Littell, the rest of the Tampa Bay staff should be somewhat effective. These two teams have played two straight low-scoring games, and with the high total, I’m happy to take the Under.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Rays vs Rangers moneyline and Over/Under analysis

The Rangers opened today’s game as a -120 favorite in the MLB odds. Some books have stuck with that number, but the consensus line has tightened a bit to Texas -115. If you’re looking to bet on the Rays, you can get +100 on Tampa Bay at some sites.

As two of the top teams in the American League, it’s no surprise that both squads have been good to bettors in 2023. Tampa Bay is up more than eight units on the moneyline this year, while Texas is more than nine bets to the positive.

As I noted above, I like Texas in today’s matchup. The opportunity for the powerful Rangers lineup to tee off on Littell in the early innings should give them a big advantage, while Gray is solid enough to keep the Rays in check. Texas is the play on the moneyline.

The Over/Under for Wednesday’s matchup started at nine runs. Bettors have taken that number up to 9.5 at most sites, though you can still find the flat nine if you shop around. The best Over bet around is -105 at 9.5 runs, while you can get -115 on the Under at that total.

Both teams have played to the Over this year. The Over is 52-42 in Tampa Bay games, and a similar 48-39 when the Rangers play. However, both teams have been hitting the Under regularly in recent days: the Rays have gone Under in seven of their last nine outings, while Texas has hit the Under in four of its past six games.

Given the recent trends and what we’ve seen between these teams in the first two games of the series, I’m looking at the Under for Wednesday’s game. The Rays and Rangers have combined to scored 13 runs total over two games so far, and the pitching matchup isn’t so bad that I’m suddenly expecting a shootout in the finale. I’m leaning towards the Under at 9.5 runs.

Trend to know

Tampa Bay has lost 10 of its last 13 games overall. Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Rangers

Rays vs Rangers game info

Starting pitchers

Zack Littell (0-1, 6.05 ERA): The Rays picked up Littell on waivers after he was ineffective in two appearances for the Red Sox early in the year. Now in his sixth MLB season, Littell is mostly used out of the bullpen, but has appeared as an opener twice for the Rays, pitching for two innings on both occasions. Most recently, Littell came out of the bullpen to give up two runs in two innings against the Atlanta Braves on July 9.

Jon Gray (6-5, 3.45 ERA): After largely failing to impress in seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies, Gray has found a home in Texas. The 31-year-old was solid in 2022, and is putting up even better raw numbers in 2023, dropping his ERA to a career-best 3.45. While his strikeouts are down, Gray is still managing to induce soft contact, though it remains to be seen whether he can keep this up all year long. In his last start, Gray gave up four runs on five hits over six innings against the Cleveland Guardians on July 14.

Latest injuries

Weather

Pages related to this topic