The two best teams in baseball finally meet this weekend and the Texas Rangers come into it after getting shut out by St. Louis Wednesday and then off day Friday. Now, they're in Florida for three-games against the Tampa Bay Rays and it's not on the best two teams, but the best two lineups in the MLB.
The two pitchers tasked with slowing down those vaunted lineups are Andrew Heaney and Tyler Glasnow in Game 1. Heaney is 4-3 with a 4.03 ERA in 11 starts this season while Glasnow has only made two starts and has worked to a 3.72 ERA.
Let's get into the odds for Game 1 of this crucial American League showdown.
Rangers vs. Rays odds, run line and total
Rangers vs. Rays prediction and pick
Tyler Glasnow has thrown 9.2 innings in his two starts this year and that means that the Rays bullpen will need to be leaned on the day after a bullpen game with Yonny Chirinos starting. Glasnow has 14 strikeouts in those 9.2 with four walks and nine hits. He's been good, as always. The Rays just have to hope he finally stays healthy. Heaney has been solid for Texas, but has a 4.79 FIP nearly a full run higher than his ERA.
Really, the story of this series won't be the pitching staffs. These lineups are the headliners and it'll be a heavyweight fight. The Rays are No. 1 in team OPS and the Rangers are No. 2. The Rangers are No. 1 in runs scored and the Rays are No. 2. The Rays are No. 1 in home runs and the Rangers are No. 7. Lately, Texas's lineup has been even better with the emergence of rookie Josh Jung who now has an .854 OPS, 12 homers and 38 RBI. Marcus Semien has also been red hot.
The over is 35-26-3 in Tampa's games this year and is 33-25-3 in Texas's. The total is only at eight and I expect it to rise, but I'm getting in early and will back these offenses regardless of who is on the mound for the rest of the series. I hope we get three games that all end 14-13.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change
