MLB Picks: Rays vs. Rangers 5/31/22

Tampa Bay Rays vs Texas Rangers

Date: Tuesday, May 31st, 08:05 ET

Location: Globe Life Field

TV: Bally Sports Southwest

Money Line: Rays +113 / Rangers -135 (Bovada – 50% bonus! Rebates on ALL your bets! Killer live betting platform! FAST payouts! What more could you ask for?)

Total Line: 8.0

STARTING PITCHING

Tampa Bay: Ryan Yarbrough (0-1, 3.98)
Texas: Martín Pérez (3-2, 1.6)

Rays Projected Lineup

Mike Zunino C
Kevin Kiermaier CF
Vidal Brujan RF
Manuel Margot LF
Isaac Paredes 3B
Harold Ramirez RF
Randy Arozarena RF
Yandy Díaz 1B
Wander Franco SS
Ryan Yarbrough P

Rangers Projected Lineup

Kole Calhoun RF
Andy Ibanez 3B
Jonah Heim C
Mitch Garver C
Charlie Culberson LF
Corey Seager SS
Adolis Garcia CF
Eli White LF
Marcus Semien SS
Martín Pérez P

STRAIGHT UP/ OVER/UNDER / RUN LINE RECORDS

Tampa Bay Rays: 28-20-0 SU / OU 21-24-3 / Run Line W/L 23-25-0
Texas Rangers: 23-24-0 SU / OU 21-21-5 / Run Line W/L 29-18-0

The Texas Rangers host the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, May 31st at Globe Life Field. The first pitch in this matchup is scheduled for 08:05 ET. The MLB Odds Board places Texas as the favorite (-135), with an OU line set at 8.0.

Recent Form

The Rays will look to bounce back from a tough loss to Texas by the score of 9-5. On their way to giving up 9 runs, the Rays staff allowed 13 hits. Offensively, they finished with 5 runs on 10 hits. Rays suffered the loss, despite being favored at -135.0. So far, the team has been the favorite in 36 of their games, winning at a rate of 61.0%. Together, the Rays and Texas combined to surpass the over-under betting line set at 8.0 runs. Games involving the Rays have stayed below the over-under line more than half of the time, at 21-24-3.

After their 5 most recent games, the Rays have gone just 2-3. In this rough stretch of games, the team’s run differential comes in at -7. On offense, Tampa Bay’s offense has experienced a dip in production, averaging 2.8 runs per game over their last 5 contests. So far, Tampa Bay has won over half of their 16 series played, going 9-6-1.

In their last game, the Texas Rangers picked up a 4-run win over the Rays by a score of 9-5. On their way to giving up 5 runs, the Rangers staff allowed 10 hits. In the victory, the Rangers came up with 13 hits and 9 runs. This was a good win for the Rangers, as they were underdogs at 125.0. So far, the team has gone into 32 games as the underdog, still finding the win column at a rate of 53.0%. In terms of the over-under, the Rangers and Rays combined to surpass the line of 8.0 runs. Now, the team’s over-under record is back to .500 (21-21-5).

Across their last 5 contests, the Rangers are above .500, going 4-1. During this time, the team’s run differential sits at 16. Compared to their season average, the Rangers come into this game swinging the bats well, averaging 7.4 runs per game. Texas has a below .500 series record of just 7-8-1.

Pitching Matchup

Ryan Yarbrough gets the start for the Rays, with an overall record of 0-1. So far, Yarbrough has put together an ERA of 3.98. In his appearances leading up to today, he has lasted an average of 4.02 innings. Opposing teams have hit the ball well against the left-hander, with a batting average of 0.253. So far, Yarbrough has managed to keep the ball in the ballpark, allowing just 0.45 home runs per 9 innings. Up to this point, Yarbrough has a strikeout percentage of just 19.0% and a per game average of 3.4. Throughout the season, Yarbrough has avoided walking batters, allowing just 3.54 per contest.

Martín Pérez gets the start for the Rangers, with an overall record of 3-2. Currently, Pérez has a strong ERA of just 1.6 while pitching an average of 6.23 innings per outing. Hits have been hard to come by against the left-hander, as his batting average allowed is just 0.204. Not only does Pérez have a strong batting average allowed, but he has yet to give up a home run. Pérez has accumulated a strikeout percentage of 20.0% and a per game average of 4.88. Leading into the game, he has shown a strong command of his pitches, averaging just 2.24 walks per contest.

Tampa Bay vs Texas History

For the season, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers will be playing their 1st game of the season. Currently, Texas is winning the season series 1-0. Through 1st games, the series’ over-under record is 1-0, with the average run total sitting at 6.86 runs per game. The averge scoring margin in these meetings is 4.0 runs. Texas won last year’s head-to-head series grabbing 4 wins to 3. In these 7 meetings, the two teams combined for an over-under record of 3-3. Last year, the Rays and Rangers averaged 6.86 runs per game. On average, the winning team won by a margin of 3.14 runs per contest.

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Betting Trends

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 7 games on the road
• Tampa Bay is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Texas
• Texas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
• Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers Prediction

In Tuesday’s American League matchup between Tampa Bay and Texas, I recommend taking the Rangers to make it 2 in a row vs the Rays. Martin Perez has been excellent on the mound for Texas. In addition, the Rangers’ offense comes into the game swinging the bats well. I like Texas on the moneyline.

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