The Rangers (56-39, 31-18 home) host the Rays ((60-37, 25-22 away) in game two of this American League series. Getting the start for the Rangers is Nathan Eovaldi while the Rays are turning to Taj Bradley. Read on to get my best bet for this Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays matchup.

TAMPA BAY RAYS VS TEXAS RANGERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Texas Rangers -134

This game will be played at Globe Life Field at 8:05 ET on Tuesday, July 18th

WHY BET THE TEXAS RANGERS:

  • On the road, the Rays have dropped two straight games.
  • The Rangers have been playing well of late, rattling off four contests.
  • Taj Bradley has struggled of late, coming in with an ERA of 12.15 over his last five starts.

TAMPA BAY RAYS LOOK TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS ON THE ROAD

Leading up to today’s game, the Rays are 1st in the AL East on a record of 60-37. Overall, they have played in 30 different series, going 17-9-4. When playing above .500 teams, the Rays are 60-37, and currently hold win percentages of 70.0% at home and 53.2% on the road.

Tampa Bay’s Taj Bradley will take the mound today hoping to keep the ball in the park, after surrendering a home-run in each of his last four outings. With a record of 5-5 and an ERA of 5.43, Bradley has tallied 80 strikeouts and a K/9 rate of 11.74 this season. Additionally, he has averaged 2.79 walks per 9 innings pitched.

Taj Bradley was saddled with the defeat in his most recent start against Atlanta, as he yielded four runs on five hits in a 6-1 Rays loss.

Having gone deep 12 times in their last ten games, the Rays are 8th in that span. At 5.4 runs per game, Tampa Bay is 2nd in the league. This figure has come on a team batting average of .258 while hitting a total of 143 home runs (4th).

Yandy Díaz has been a consistent offensive force for the Rays this season, boasting a .322 batting average and .512 slugging percentage. During the team’s last ten games, he has been especially impressive, leading Tampa Bay in hits with a .348 average.

WILL THE TEXAS RANGERS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Texas head into today’s game seeking their 5th straight win and are in 1st place in the AL West. On the road, Texas is 25-21 and 31-18 at home. With an overall record of 56-39, the Rangers have a series win percentage of 64% (18-10-2).

Today marks Nathan Eovaldi’s 19th outing of the season, and his record stands at 10-3. His ERA is 2.83 and opponents’ OBP is .264. He has fanned 109 batters and holds a WHIP of 1.02. On the road, Eovaldi’s ERA is 3.03 while it is 3.42 at home.

Nathan Eovaldi’s most recent outing with the Rangers saw him go 5 1/3 innings, yielding four runs on five hits and taking a no-decision. Unfortunately, the Rangers were unable to come out on top in the matchup against the Red Sox, ultimately falling 10-6.

For the season, the Rangers’ offense is averaging 5.8 runs per game. Over their last ten games they have swung the bats well, sitting 10th in the league in scoring, with a total of 49 runs. Overall, Texas’ team batting average is .274, putting them 1st in the MLB.

Nathaniel Lowe has been a key contributor to the Rangers’ offense over their last five games, batting .350 and leading the team in hits. For the 2023 season, Lowe has maintained a .278 average and collected 48 RBIs.