Rays vs Rangers Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for July 18 (Texas Continues Riding Post-Break Momentum)

The Texas Rangers (56-39) search for their fifth run in a row when they host the Tampa Bay Rays (60-37) at Globe Life Field on Tuesday night.

Rays vs Rangers Game Info

• Date: Tuesday, July 18, 2023
• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Venue: Globe Life Field -- Arlington, Texas
• Coverage: MLB.TV

The two teams opened a three-game series Monday with a pitching duel, ending in a 3-2 win for the host Rangers. The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth when Tampa Bay reliever Pete Fairbanks threw a wild pitch, allowing pinch runner Josh Smith to score the winning run with two outs.

Rays vs Rangers Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds, and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: TB: (+110) | TEX: (-130)
• Spread: TB: +1.5 (-192) | TEX: -1.5 (+158)
• Total: 8.5 -- Over: (-120) | Under: (-102)

The Rangers enter this contest as home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 8:05 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 8.5 runs with the Over being favored at -120 odds.

Rays vs Rangers Betting Trends

• Tampa Bay is 2-4 straight up (SU) in its last six road games.
• Texas is 6-3 SU in its last nine games against Tampa Bay.
• The total has hit the Under in six of Tampa Bay's last eight games.
• The total has hit the Over in four of Texas' last five games against Tampa Bay.

Rays vs Rangers Prediction & Pick

The Rangers are counting on starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to help them improve to 5-0 since the MLB All-Star Break. The good news for them is that the form World Series Champion has put on a clinic at Globe Life Field lately, going 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his last five home starts.

At the same time, the Rays desperately need a turnaround showing out of Taj Bradley. The struggling rookie SP can't seem to find his footing, allowing 16 earned runs on 22 hits over his last 12 1/3 innings (three starts), good for an abysmal 11.68 ERA.

The Rangers will eat Bradley alive tonight. They're near the top when it comes to a good chunk of the MLB's batting statistics, including runs per game (5.83, No. 1), batting average (.274, No. 1), and on-base plus slugging percentage (.803, No. 2).

The Rays are more than capable of putting up a fight, but their pitching situation combined with the Rangers' recent momentum has me siding with the home team.

Final Score Prediction: Rangers: 5 | Rays: 3

Rays vs Rangers Best Bet

I can see the Rangers covering the spread tonight. For starters, they've done well when it comes to covering at home, going 30-19 against the spread (ATS) at Globe Life Field thus far. Meanwhile, the Rays are just 24-23 ATS on the road, which drops to 14-15 ATS against fellow AL clubs.

Furthermore, the Rays own a minus-3.3 average run margin in Bradley's last three starts, whereas the Rangers own a plus-2.1 mark when Eovaldi has been on the mound at home.

Bet: Rangers -1.5 (+158)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.