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The Texas Rangers (3-2) wrap up their 3-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays (3-3) Wednesday afternoon at Tropicana Field. First pitch in St. Petersburg is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Rangers vs. Rays odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Tied 1-1
The Rays defeated the Rangers Tuesday 5-2, cashing as a (-144) moneyline favorite. SP Zach Eflin earned the win and 3B Isaac Parades hit a 3-run HR in the 5th inning to help Tampa Bay snap a 6-game losing streak to Texas dating back to last season.
The Rangers have dropped 2 of 3 after opening their season with a couple of wins over the Chicago Cubs. LF Adolis Garcia leads the team with 3 HRs while 3B Evan Carter sports the 4th-highest OBP on the team despite not having a hit yet.
Rangers at Rays projected starters
RHP Nathan Eovaldi vs. RHP Aaron Civale
Eovaldi (0-0, 3.00 ERA) makes his 2nd start. He has a 0.83 WHIP, 1.50 BB/9 and 4.50 K/9 in 6 IP.
- 2023 road splits: 6-2, 3.56 ERA in 13 starts with 70 K in 76.1 IP
- Has 12 career starts at Tropicana Field, sporting a 4-5 record with a 5.00 ERA
Civale (1-0, 1.50 ERA) makes his 2nd start. He has a 0.83 WHIP, 1.50 BB/9 and 9.0 K/9 in 6 IP.
- Limited Toronto Blue Jays to just 3 singles and a solo HR
- Has started 6 games in his career at the Trop, going 1-1 with a 5.83 ERA
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Rangers at Rays odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:29 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Rangers +102 (bet $100 to win $102) | Rays -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
- Run line (RL): Rangers +1.5 (-200) | Rays -1.5 (+164)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: -114 | U: -106)
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Rangers at Rays picks and predictions
Prediction
Rays 6, Rangers 5
Moneyline
BET TAMPA BAY (-120).
Fan favorite Randy Arozarena leads the Rays in OBP (.391) and Paredes, who had the most RBI on TB last season (98), has HRs in consecutive games. Expect the Rays offense to build off Tuesday’s 5-run performance that saw the top 4 hitters (1B Yandy Diaz, DH Harold Ramirez, Arozarena & Paredes) all get hits and score runs.
Run line/Against the spread
PASS.
Certainly wouldn’t chase the plus money with the Rays on the RL. If you like the Dodgers on the ML later this evening vs. San Francisco, pairing Texas +1.5 (-200) along with LA (-235) pays out roughly +110.
Over/Under
BET OVER 8 (-114).
With both SPs sporting a 5.00 ERA or higher at Tropicana Field, expect some runs to be scored early on. SS Corey Seager leads the Rangers with a .421 OBP, and in the 2 Wild Card games played in Tampa Bay last postseason he went 5-for-8 with 3 doubles. The 2x World Series MVP should help generate offense for his Rangers team, it just won’t be enough to keep up through 9 (or potentially more) innings.
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