Rays vs. Rangers Prediction & Betting Tips
The Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers finished as the first and second AL Wild Cards, respectively. As such, the two teams will play a best-of-3 playoff series to determine who advances to the ALDS.
Both teams have had solid seasons, and both were projected to win their division until relatively recently. For the Rays, it is their fifth straight playoff appearance, while Texas has not seen postseason baseball since 2016.
With both teams expected to bring all they have, let's take a look at who we might expect to come out on top.
"Jomboy likes the Rangers over the Rays" - Talkin' Baseball
Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Predictions
As the Tampa Bay Rays were the team with the better record, home field advantage will mean the three game will be played at Tropicana Field.
Texas is a strong offensive team. Its 233 home runs this season places it second in the AL in the category, just behind the Minnesota Twins. Home Run Derby contestant Adolis Garcia has been incredible, hitting 39 home runs and 107 RBIs.
Shortstop Corey Seager inked a 10-year, $325 million contract, the largest ever in Rangers' history this offseason. Since then, he has put up an MVP-quality season, hitting .327/.390/.623 with 33 home runs and 96 RBIs.
"Usually good pitching is going to stop great hitting." Tom Verducci explains why he thinks Tyler Glasnow and the Rays' staff will pose a difficult challenge in the Wild Card round for the Rangers' offense." - MLB Network
As such, the main question will be in the Rays' pitching. Tyler Glasnow looks likely to get the ball in Game 1. After that, it will be up to Zach Eflin, who boasts an AL-best 16 wins alongside his 3.50 ERA.
If the Rays can stick to their pitching, and allow their own arsenal of top-quality hitters to do their job, then the series going Tampa's way appears to be the most likely scenario.
Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays betting tips
As with any competitive series, choosing one team to sweep the other is inadvisable. It may also be worth betting on a lot of runs being scored over the two or three games.
An important thing to keep in mind is the young nature of the Rangers' pitching staff. With the exception of former Boston Red Sox ace Nathan Eovaldi, the Rangers may come to rely on Dane Dunning and Martin Perez, who young aces.
"Josh Lowe shared that his mom is battling cancer and won’t be able to attend the AL Wild Card Series vs. Rangers. Josh's brother Nathaniel plays also plays for the Rangers." - Kyle Burger
While the Tampa Bay Rays' have inexperience to their own extend, do not expect this to be a low scoring series. It is likely that both teams will be firing, so placing your money on a high-scoring affair would not be a bad idea at all.
Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays Head-to-Head
Over the course of the 2023 regular season, the teams met six times. In terms of actual wins, the Tampa Bay Rays' 98 wins looks rather favorable next to the Rangers' 90. However, the Texas Rangers beat the Rays 4-2 in their season series this year.
Where to watch the Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays
The AL Wild Card Series will be shown on ABC for viewers across the continguous USA. Moreover, fans in the geographic zone of the two respective teams will be able to catch the action on their local Bally Sports providers.
