Nathan Karns (1-1, 4.05 ERA) and the Tampa Bay Rays (15-14) meet Yovani Gallardo (2-4, 4.05 ERA) and the Texas Rangers (12-16) in the second of a four-game series at Tropicana Field. The Rangers won the last game 5-4 and Texas leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 8 and will air on FSN-SW and SunSports.
In his most recent outing, Karns pitched 5.0 innings, giving up zero runs, striking out four and walking one in a 4-2 loss to the Orioles. Evan Longoria (.284, 16 Rs, 3 HRs, 8 RBIs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 3 with three runs, two home runs, and two RBIs. In his pitching opportunities against the Rays, Gallardo is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, five strikeouts and one walk. Prince Fielder (.342, 11 Rs, 2 HRs, 14 RBIs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one RBI.
Tampa Bay is a -130 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Rays are 5-5 as the favorite and have an overall money line of +289. Tampa Bay has averaged 2.5 runs per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 3.6. The Rays typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an impressive 3.5 walks per game. As for the pitching staff, the Rays rank third in the AL in ERA with a 3.42 team average. The Rays are third in the league in WHIP at 1.12. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, averaging 8.2 strikeouts per game.
On the other side, the Rangers have a record of 10-14 when they are the underdog and are -150 overall with the money line.
So far this season, the Rangers are 1-0 against the Rays. The Rays will take on a right-hander (Gallardo) in this game and have a 12-9 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Karns will take the mound against the Rangers, who have a 7-9 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Tampa Bay is 5-5, while Texas is 5-11.
The Rays managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rangers who are coming in with a 4-4 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.
Ranking 18th in home runs, Texas has hit 22 this season. Tampa Bay ranks 15th with 24 home runs.
Tampa Bay and Texas both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Tampa Bay sits at 13th with 7.82 hits per game and Texas ranks 14th with 7.67.
Tampa Bay and Texas both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Tampa Bay sits at 23rd with an OPS of .683 and Texas ranks 24th with an OPS of .662.
When the Rangers allow at least one home run, they are 6-12. When the Rays allow one or more homers, they have a 6-8 record.
