Rays Game 2 prediction, odds, pick, how to watch AL Wild Card game

The Texas Rangers can eliminate the Tampa Bay Rays in game two of the American League Wild Card series. It is time to continue our MLB odds Series with an AL Wild Card Game Two Rangers-Rays prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

It was a dominating performance from Jordan Montgomery in game one of the series that gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead.  He went seven innings, giving up no walks and six hits, without a run in the victory. Not only did Montgomery pitch well, but he also made some key plays on defense in the game. After he left, the bullpen finished it out, going two innings without giving up a hit to hold on to the shutout. Meanwhile, Corey Seager finished the game with two hits and an RBI, while Josh Jung added another.

It was Josh Jung that gave the Rangers the lead in the second inning, with a sacrifice fly to put them up 1-0. A wild pitch by Tyler Glasnow scored the second run of the game in the fifth inning. Then after a Spring single that scored a run, another scored on a throwing error to make it 4-0 in the sixth. That would be the score the Rangers won by.

The Rays committed four errors in front of a small crowd in Tampa Bay. That led to two runs, something the Rays could not overcome. Now, their backs are against the wall. They have to win, or their season ends in this game.

Here are the Rangers-Rays MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Rangers-Rays Odds

Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-166)

Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+138)

Over: 8 (-110)

Under: 8 (-110)

How To Watch Rangers vs. Rays

TV: ABC

Stream: ESPN App

Time: 3:00 PM ET/noon PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

For the inside story on the next Shohei Ohtani, listen below:

The solid Rangers offense did not need much to get the win. Between errors by the Rays and great pitching, they took an easy win. Meanwhile, the Rangers have been solid on the mound this year. They were 18th in the majors in team ERA while sitting 12th in WHIP and 15th in opponent batting average. Nathan Eovaldi will be on the mound for game two. He was 12-5 this year with a 3.63 ERA. While Eovaldi has had some solid starts, his month of September was one to forget. In September, Eovaldi made seven starts, pitching just 20.1 innings and giving up 21 runs. That gave him a 9.30 ERS for the month. Eovaldi also never went more than five innings and gave up three or more runs in each of his last three starts, and four times in the month.

Still, with how good the Rangers offense can be, they just need solid pitching. They were third in the majors in runs scored, second in batting average, third in on-base percentage, and third in slugging. Corey Seager drove in one of the runs yesterday in the win. He was in the top five in the majors this year in batting average, hitting .327 on the year. He was not hitting great going into the game hitting just .238 in the week before the playoffs. Further, Seager had not driven in a run and scored just once in the week prior. He scored and drove in a run last night.

Meanwhile, Adolis Garcia led the team in RBIs and home runs this past season. He did have a hit in game one, but that did not produce a run. Garcia has been struggling at the plate in September. While he did hit seven home runs, he drove in just ten runs overall. He was hitting just .213 with a .324 on-base percentage, and scoring 14 times in September.

Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread

While the Rangers are great at the plate, the Rays are nearly as good. They were fourth in runs scored, third in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, and fourth in slugging. Randy Arozarena was solid in the game against the Rangers. He has two hits in the game, including a double, but was stranded on base both times. That is something that happened at times in September. While getting on base 33 times in September, through 19 hits, 12 walks, and a hit by pitch, he scored just 10 times. In September, the Rays won seven of nine games when he scored a run. Arozarena also needs to drive in runs. He drove in just seven in September. The Rays were just 9-9 when he did not drive in a run, but 4-1 when he did.

Meanwhile, the Rays need production from Harold Ramirez.  In the week before the playoffs, he was hitting .412 with a .421 on-base percentage. He had hit a home run and two doubles as well, while driving in five runs. Ramirez had also scored five times. Josh Lowe has scored a ton in the last week. He has scored six times in the last week while hitting .500 with a .556 on-base percentage. Lowe has a home run and three doubles with four RBIs in the last week as well.

Overall, the Rays stranded seven runners on base in the game, while going just 1-6 with runners in scoring position. This year, Tampa Bay hit .285 with runners in scoring position. Hitting just average in game one gives them most likely a second hit and a run scored. The other issue yesterday was fielding. The Rays were ninth in the majors this season with a .987 fielding percentage. They committed four errors in the game, which led directly to one run, plus the wild pitch last in Glasnow's start.

The Rays are going to send Zach Eflin to the mound in this game. He was 16-8 on the season with a 3.50 ERA. This year, Eflin was third in the majors in wins, 17th in ERA, 23rd in strikeouts, and second in WHIP. His finish to the season was not strong but was solid. In 27 innings of work, he gave up 12 runs, good for a 4.00 ERA. Still, he never went less than five innings in a starts and never gave up more than five runs. The Rays also won all five starts he made.

Final Rangers-Rays Prediction & Pick

One amazing season may come crashing down in this one. The Rays had the second-best record in the American League and led the American League with a +195 run differential. They will pull out all the stops in this one to make sure they are not going home. There are a few key factors. First, Zach Eflin has been much better than Nathan Eovaldi as of late and has been better this year. Second, the Rays normally hit better in pressure opportunities and will do so in this game. This, the Rays will not field like they did in game one. The prediction in this Rangers-Rays match-up is both starters make shorter outings, with neither of them going over six innings. That makes it a bullpen game, and the Rays will win that battle. They will win and survive to play another day.

Final Rangers-Rays Prediction & Pick: Rays -1.5 (+138)