Tampa Bay @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 21, 2016 ) Texas 4, Tampa Bay 8

The Texas Rangers can wrap up home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs with a victory Friday, when they host the Tampa Bay Rays for the opener of their three-game series. The Rangers have posted 52 wins at home, matching the club record set in 1978 and equaled in 2011, and have closed within two of tying the franchise mark for victories in a season (96 in 2011).

Yu Darvish makes his 100th career start for Texas, which has won six of its last nine contests after taking the final two of a three-game series with Milwaukee earlier in the week. Carlos Gomez comes into the final series of the regular season red-hot after going 7-for-12 with eight RBIs in his last three contests. The last-place Rays knocked off the Chicago White Sox on Thursday 5-3 to end a six-game losing streak and enter their final weekend 30-48 on the road. Mikie Mahtook homered Thursday and is 7-for-18 over his last five games.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), FSN Southwest (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Matt Andriese (8-7, 4.34 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Yu Darvish (6-5, 3.53)

Andriese has put together three strong starts, allowing five runs over 16 1/3 total innings with a pair of victories and a no-decision. The 27-year-old Californian walked just one batter in those three outings and has issued 24 free passes in 122 1/3 frames overall in 2016. Mitch Moreland and Adrian Beltre homered versus Andriese, who took the loss against Texas on Aug. 19 as he permitted five runs over 5 1/3 innings.

Darvish comes in off his finest outing of the season, when he yielded two hits and struck out nine over seven scoreless innings against Oakland. The 30-year-old native of Japan has fanned 120 batters over 94 1/3 innings and 16 starts since returning from Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss all of 2015. Darvish, who owns a 5-2 record at home this season, is 3-0 with 1.00 ERA in four career starts against the Rays.

WALK-OFFS

1. Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria doubled in the ninth inning Thursday, matching his career high for hits in a season with 169 (2010).

2. Texas SS Elvis Andrus has gone 8-for-15 with two homers and five RBIs over his last four games to raise his average to .304.

3. The Rays took two of three games from the Rangers at home from Aug. 19-21, scoring eight runs in each of the final two encounters.

PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Rays 1