Rangers vs. Rays Total Bet 9/16/22

Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays
Date: Friday September 16th, 07:10 ET
Location: Tropicana Field
TV: Bally Sports Southwest
Money Line: Rangers +122 / Rays -145
Total Line: 7.0

STARTING PITCHING

Texas: Martín Pérez (11-6, 2.77)
Tampa Bay: Corey Kluber (10-8, 4.36)

Rangers Projected Lineup

Leody Taveras CF
Josh H. Smith 3B
Josh Jung 3B
Jonah Heim C
Bubba Thompson LF
Nate Lowe 1B
Adolis Garcia RF
Marcus Semien 2B
Corey Seager SS
Martín Pérez P

Rays Projected Lineup

Francisco Mejía C
Taylor Walls SS
Isaac Paredes SS
Manuel Margot CF
Randy Arozarena LF
Yandy Díaz 3B
Jose Siri CF
Harold Ramirez RF
Wander Franco SS
Corey Kluber P

STRAIGHT UP/ OVER/UNDER / RUN LINE RECORDS

Texas Rangers: 62-81-0 SU / OU 70-64-9 / Run Line W/L 79-64-0
Tampa Bay Rays: 80-63-0 SU / OU 64-68-11 / Run Line W/L 70-73-0

The Tampa Bay Rays host the Texas Rangers on Friday September 16th at Tropicana Field. The first pitch in this matchup is scheduled for 07:10 ET. The MLB Odds Board places Tampa Bay as the favorite (-145), with an OU line set at 7.0.

Recent Form

The Rangers will look to rebound from a close, 8-7 loss to Oakland. Texas’s pitching staff finished the game by allowing 10 hits, leading to 8 runs. Offensively, they finished with 7 runs on 10 hits. Rangers suffered the loss, despite being favored at -155.0. Through 59 games as the favorite, the team has found the win column at a rate of 42.0%. This game went over the posted over-under line of 8.5 runs. This result is part of a larger trend, as Texas has had the over has hit in more than half of their games (70-64-9).

In the Rangers’ last 5 games, they are above .500, going 3-2. However, even with an above .500 record (last 5) their run differential sits at just 0 (last 5). Their hot play has been driven by an offense that typically averages 4.50 runs per game. But, over this stretch, this figure has bumped up to 5.6. Texas’ overall series record is just 15-24-8.

The Tampa Bay Rays are coming off a big win over the Blue Jays by a score of 11-0. In the winning effort, the team’s pitchers held the Blue Jays to 0 runs and 6 hits. Offensively, they finished with 11 runs on 11 hits. This was a good win for the Rays, as they were underdogs at 115.0 on the moneyline. So far, the team has gone into 44 games as the underdog, still finding the win column at a rate of 39.0%. In terms of the over-under, the Rays and Blue Jays combined to surpass the line of 7.0 runs. Against the run total, Tampa Bay is just 64-68-11.

In their last 5 contests, the Rays have just 2 wins, going 2-3. Even though Tampa Bay has notched just 2 in their last 5 games, they still have a positive run differential in this stretch (+3). Even with their recent struggles, the offense has been steady, averaging 4.0 runs per game. This is right in line with their season average of 4.24. On the season, Tampa Bay has won more than half of their series, going 23-19-3.

Pitching Matchup

The Texas Rangers will send Martín Pérez to the mound with an overall record of 11-6. In his previous outings, Pérez has lasted an average of 6.14 innings, putting together an ERA of just 2.77. Across his previous appearances, the left-hander has a batting average allowed of 0.236. So far, Pérez has managed to keep the ball in the ballpark, allowing just 0.58 home runs per 9 innings. Per game, Martín Pérez is averaging 5.57, on a strikeout percentage of 22.0%. Command has been a problem for Pérez, as he is giving up 2.98 walks per outing.

Tampa Bay will roll with Corey Kluber (10-8) as their starter. Kluber gets the start with an ERA of 4.36. On average, he has lasted 5.26 innings per appearance. Compared to other starters, the right-hander has a high BA allowed of 0.266. Opposing hitters are hitting home runs at an above-average rate against Kluber. This year, he is allowing 1.14 HR’s per 9 innings pitched. Overall, Corey Kluber has struck out 21.0% of the batters he has faced. On average, he averages 4.52 K’s per game. Leading into the game, he has shown a strong command of his pitches, averaging just 1.14 walks per contest.

Texas vs Tampa Bay History

For the season, the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays will be playing their 5th game of the season. So far, the teams have each won 2 times. Through 4 games, the series over-under record is 1-3, with the average run total sitting at 6.86 runs per game. The averge scoring margin in these meetings is 2.5 runs. Last season, Texas picked up the series win, 4 games to 3. In these 7 meetings, the two teams combined for an over-under record of 3-3. Last year, the Rangers and Rays 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

• Rangers are 32-74 in their last 106 road games vs. a right-handed starter.
• Rangers are 21-50 in their last 71 road games vs. a team with a winning record.
• Rays are 4-0 in their last 4 after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game.
• Rays are 6-0 in their last 6 vs. American League West.

Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays Prediction

Leading into Friday’s matchup between Texas and Tampa Bay, the over-under betting line is set at 7 runs. With Martin Perez and Corey Cluber on the mound, look for games to be a low-scoring, tightly contested matchup. The last time Cluber faced the Rangers, he gave up just 1 across 6 innings in a game that only mustered 4 runs. I recommend taking the under.

Free MLB Pick: Under 7 Runs