Chris Archer (3-3, 1.64 ERA) and the Tampa Bay Rays (15-13) square off against Nick Martinez (2-0, 0.84 ERA) and the Texas Rangers (11-16) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the first of a four-game series at Tropicana Field. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 7 and can be seen on FSN-SW and SunSports.
Archer is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his appearances against the Rangers, and goes up against a below-average Texas offense which is batting just .225 this season. David DeJesus (.297, 7 Rs, 1 HR, 10 RBIs, 1 SB) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 2. Martinez is 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA when pitching against the Rays. He takes on a below-average Tampa Bay offense which is hitting just .234 this season. Robinson Chirinos (.182, 7 Rs, 2 HRs, 11 RBIs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two runs and three RBIs.
Tampa Bay is a -161 favorite against Texas and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Rays have an overall money line of +177 and a record as the favorite of 5-5. The Rays have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 2.4 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.6 runs per game. Turning to the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Rays, who have a team ERA of only 3.43. The Rays are the third-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.11 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Rays, who rank third in the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.3.
As for their opponent, Texas is coming in with an overall money line of -268 and a disappointing record of 9-14 as the underdog.
The Rays have an 11-9 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Martinez takes the mound. Archer (RHP) will be on the hill against the Rangers, who have a 6-9 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
Texas has won 31% (5-11) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Tampa Bay has won 50% (5-5) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Rays managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rangers who are coming in with a 5-5 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Rays are 1-9. The Rangers have a 3-12 record when opponents outhit them.
Both falling in the bottom half of the league based on total home runs this season, Tampa Bay ranks 17th with 23 homers and Texas is 18th with 22.
Tampa Bay and Texas both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Tampa Bay sits at 13th with 7.78 hits per game and Texas ranks 14th with 7.46.
Tampa Bay and Texas both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Tampa Bay sits at 22nd with an OPS of .686 and Texas ranks 24th with an OPS of .666.
The Rangers are 5-12 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Rays are 6-8 when they allow at least one homer.
