The Texas Rangers (3-1) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (2-3) on Tuesday, April 2nd. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on BSSW. The Rangers are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rays. First pitch is set for 6:50 ET.
Rangers vs Rays
The Rangers and Rays played the previous game of this series, with the Rangers coming out on top by a score of 9-3. Despite being on the road, the Rangers were the underdog at +107. Both teams hit two home runs, while the Rangers had just one more hit than the Rays.
Dane Dunning got the win for the Rangers, going 6 1/3 innings and giving up three earned runs. He finished with seven strikeouts. As for the Rays, Ryan Pepiot took the loss, giving up six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Josh Jung had a huge game for the Rangers, going 3/4 with four RBIs and a stolen base. Adolis Garcia also went deep and drove in two runs. The only two Rays hitters to drive in a run were Jose Siri and Richie Palacios, who each hit a home run.
Andrew Heaney Gets The Start For The Rangers
Andrew Heaney is coming off a season in which he made 28 starts and finished with a record of 10-6. His ERA for the season was 4.15, and he made seven quality starts. Last season, Heaney allowed a total of 23 home runs and finished the season with an average of 1.8 walks per game. His WHIP for the season was 1.38, and he finished the season with a K/9 of 9.22. Overall, Heaney finished the season with an OPS allowed of .758 and a slugging percentage allowed of .432.
Rangers Offense Breakdown
Our player projections have Wyatt Langford as the top hitter for the Rangers in terms of total hits. In fact, his total hits projection is the best in the league for today’s games. Corey Seager has the 2nd best total hits projection on the team and in the league. If you’re looking for a player to hit a home run, Adolis García is the top projected home run hitter in today’s games.
Zach Eflin Gets The Start For The Rays
Zach Eflin will be making his second start of the season as he takes on the Texas Rangers at home. In his first outing of the year, Eflin took the loss against the Blue Jays, allowing six runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings of work. He’ll look to bounce back and pick up his first win of the season against the Rangers.
Rays Offense Breakdown
If you’re looking for some Rays players to potentially have a big game at the plate, we have some projections that might interest you. Yandy Díaz has the top overall hits projection on the team and is 13th in the league in that category today. Jose Siri is not only our top projected home run hitter for the Rays, but his home run projection is 12th best in the league. If you’re looking for a longshot, Isaac Paredes has the 2nd best home run projection on the team and is 13th in the league today.
Rangers vs Rays Prediction
Our pick for today’s Rangers vs. Rays matchup is to take the Rangers on the money line, with a payout of +128. We actually have the Rangers winning this one by a score of 6-4, and with the payout, there is a lot of value in taking the Rangers to win outright.
Looking at some potential player props, we have Zach Eflin finishing with six strikeouts, which would have him finishing 10th among all starters. As for the Rangers, you could look at a player like Joey Gallo to hit a home run, as the Rangers are projected to finish with the most home runs in the league today.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:April 2, 2024 Rangers, Rays