The over/under line for Sunday's Rays vs. Rangers matchup is at 7.5 runs, and the Rangers are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -136 compared to the Rays at +115. First pitch from Globe Life Field in Arlington is set for 2:35 PM ET.
Tampa Bay will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as they are 44-45 and 4th in the AL East. The Rangers have won two straight and are 3rd in the AL West with an overall record of 41-48. Sunday's starting pitching matchup features Zack Littell for the Rays and Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers.
Tampa Bay vs. Texas Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Rays at Rangers
- Where: Globe Life Field Arlington
- Date: Sunday, July 7th
- Betting Odds TEX -136 | TB +115 O/U 7.5
Rays vs Rangers Last Game Recap
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Rangers vs Rays series. Texas went into the matchup as slight favorites at -110 and squeaked out a 4-3 win. The Rangers had a 1-0 lead after the first inning and didn't score another run until putting up two in the 7th. As for the Rays, they scored their first run in the 2nd and plated their final two runs in the 7th.
Taj Bradley got the start for the Rays and went six innings while giving up just one run and five hits. Kevin Kelly took the loss. Jonathan Hernandez got the win out of the bullpen for the Rangers as Andrew Heaney went 5 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs.
Yandy Diaz was the only player in the game to have more than two hits, as he went 3/3 with a home run. Randy Arozarena also had a two-hit game for Tampa Bay. Marcus Semien hit the game's only other home run while going 1/3 with two RBIs.
Rays Preview
As underdogs, the Rays have covered the run line in nine straight games and have a 23-16 record on the run line. Their average run margin in wins is +2.5, but it drops to -3.7 in losses. Tampa Bay's overall series record this season is 15-11-2, and they are currently on a five-series winning streak.
Tampa Bay is 44-45 overall and 21-20 on the road. They have struggled within the AL East, posting a 10-17 record against division opponents. The Rays are 26-24 as favorites and 12-12 as underdogs on the road. Heading into today's game, their over/under record for the season is 43-42, with an average of 8.7 runs per game.
Tampa Bay is sending right-hander Zack Littell to the mound today vs. the Rangers. Littell has made 17 starts this season and has a record of 3-5 with a 3.94 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Littell has a WHIP of 1.32 and has issued just 1.58 walks per nine innings. In his last outing, Littell picked up the win, going five innings and not allowing a run vs. the Royals. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight outings. Littell's ERA on the road is 6.15 compared to 3.56 at home.
Heading into today's game, the Rays offense is averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 25th in the league. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.8 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .235, and their team on-base percentage of .311 is 12th in the league. Tampa Bay's offense has been led by Isaac Paredes, who has 14 homers and a team-high 47 RBIs while batting .269.
Randy Arozarena has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/34 in his last nine games. This stretch includes a current eight-game hitting streak. Over this stretch, he has one home run and two RBIs. Brandon Lowe has also been swinging a hot bat, going 6/22 in his last seven games with three homers.
Rangers Preview
As the favorite, the Rangers are 24-22, but they have a losing record of 17-26 as underdogs. Texas has an overall series record of 11-16-1 and has lost three straight series. They are currently seven games behind the Mariners in the AL West with a 41-48 record.
When the Rangers win, they win big, with an average run margin of 4.1 runs per game. Their games have averaged 8.5 runs this season, and the over has hit in 34 of their 52 games. The under has hit in their last three games, and the over/under line for their home games is usually set higher than 7.5 runs.
Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi has made 14 appearances this year and has a record of 5-3. His ERA for the season is 3.15, along with a WHIP of 1.07. Eovaldi has made six quality starts this year and is averaging 9 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Eovaldi didn't allow a run, picking up the win after going seven innings vs. the Padres. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight outings. Eovaldi has been much better at home, coming in with a record of 4-0 and an ERA of 2.14.
Adolis Garcia comes into the game with a team-high 16 home runs, but he is batting just .215 for the season. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager have also been big power threats for the Rangers, with Semien having gone deep 12 times and Seager 15 times. Semien is batting just .232, while Seager is hitting .267. Semien has driven in 47 runs this season, which is the best mark on the team.
Corey Seager is currently on an 11-game hitting streak and has three homers in his last nine games. Over this stretch, he is batting .343. Derek Hill has also hit three homers in his last six games, going 5/19 overall. Nathaniel Lowe has gone 12/35 in his last nine games, also hitting three homers over this stretch.
Rays vs. Rangers Prediction: Rays ML +115
Our prediction for this Rays vs. Rangers matchup is to take the Rays on the money line, with the payout at +115. We actually have the Rays winning this one by a score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Nathan Eovaldi finishing with six strikeouts compared to Zack Littell with just four. Eovaldi is also projected to go 1.2 innings longer than Littell.
Offensively, the Rangers are projected to finish with eight hits compared to the Rays with just five. However, the Rangers are also projected to finish with fewer runs than the Rays.
If you're looking for a potential home run pick, the Rangers are projected to finish with just one home run compared to the Rays with one.
