Rangers vs Rays Odds: AL Division Leaders Clash on Friday Night

• The Rangers and Rays are the only two teams with at least 40 wins this season.
• The Rays have won six in a row and are 29-6 at home this year.
• Texas has won four straight games that Andrew Heaney has started.

Rangers vs Rays Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. If you're interested in other sportsbooks, check out our favorite MLB betting sites, here! 

Rangers vs Rays Pick

• Rays to Win

The two best teams in baseball square off on Friday night when the Tampa Bay Rays host the Texas Rangers in the first game of a three-game series. The Rays have led the AL East all season while the Rangers have surprised most of baseball by jumping ahead in the AL West race. These are the only two teams to reach the 40-win plateau in 2023, making this game a true matchup of heavyweights and a potential playoff preview.

The Rangers came close to heading to Tampa on the heels of a six-game winning streak but lost 1-0 to St. Louis on Wednesday. Nevertheless, they are 5-1 in June and have won 14 of their last 18 games. That has helped Texas to build a somewhat comfortable lead over the Astros atop the AL West and within striking distance of the Rays for the best record in baseball.

Of course, the Rays have been an unstoppable force for most of the season. They head into this weekend’s series on the heels of a six-game winning streak after sweeping the Twins this week. Tampa is also 29-6 at home, which equates to a .829 winning percentage at Tropical Field on top of an impressive 24-13 record against teams with a winning record.

Given their winning streak and incredible home record, it’s not surprising that the Rays are favored in Friday’s series opener. DraftKings has Tampa’s moneyline at -170 while the Rangers are at +145. There is also an over/under of eight runs.

Texas Rangers Predictions

If the Rangers are going to pull off a surprise win on Friday, they’ll likely need Andrew Heaney to have a good outing. The well-traveled lefty has been a key part of the Texas rotation this season. Even with some ups and downs, Heaney is 4-3 with a 4.03 ERA over 11 outings. While his last start had to be cut short, Heaney has lasted at least six innings in six of his last eight starts. He’s also allowed one run over six innings or more in three of his last four starts with the Rangers winning the last four games that he's started.

That being said, the Rays are one of the toughest lineups in baseball to face. Texas catches a little break with Brandon Lowe still on the IL, but other than that, Tampa’s lineup is at full strength. The likes of Yandy Diaz, Wander Franco, Harold Ramirez, and Luke Raley are all swinging hot bats at the moment, so the heart of Tampa’s lineup won’t be easy to traverse. Perhaps the biggest challenge for Heaney is the fact that the Rays are 9-3 against left-handed starters this season, so they have been a little better against Southpaws than right-handed starters. 

Tampa Bay Rays Predictions

The Rays will counter Heaney by sending Tyler Glasnow to the mound. This will only be Glasnow’s third start of the season after he was sidelined by an oblique strain in late February. Tampa has lost multiple starters to the IL recently, so Glasnow has returned at the right time. Fortunately for the Rays, his first two starts have gone well with Glasnow allowing four runs on nine hits over his first 9.2 innings of the year, striking out 14 and walking four. Last time out, he allowed just one run on four hits over 5.1 innings against the Red Sox. 

Much like Heaney, Glasnow faces a tough lineup on Friday. The Rangers lead the majors in runs scored and are second, behind only the Rays, in team OPS. Marcus Semien, Josh Jung, and Adolis Garcia have all positioned themselves to be all-stars this year. On top of that, Semien is 4 for 6 with two extra-base hits in his career against Glasnow. 

Corey Seager has also started to heat up lately, batting .400 with an OPS of 1.124 over his last six games. Likewise, Garcia is red-hot, batting .409 with a 1.026 OPS in his last six games. However, the Rangers were also shut out on Wednesday and had an off day on Thursday. They might need a few innings to get going offensively. If Glasnow can slow down the Texas lineup for a few innings, he’ll put the Rays in a position to take an early lead and extend their winning streak to seven games.

Rangers vs Rays Over/Under Analysis

Given the offensive firepower on both sides, this game has slugfest written all over it. While Heaney and Glasnow are both talented pitchers, neither is a lock to have a dominant outing. Equally important, the bullpen of both of these teams ranks in the bottom third league-wide in ERA. Even if both starters can deliver five or six solid innings, both the Rays and Rangers will be a threat to score runs late in the game. That should be enough to push this game over eight total runs.

How to Watch Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays

• What: Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays
• Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
• When: 6:40 PM EST
• How to Watch: Bailey Sports Southwest and Bailey Sports Sun