Rangers Ballpark hosts an MLB battle between the Texas Rangers and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

Texas sends C.J. Wilson out against Matt Moore for the Rays in this game. Wilson is 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA on the season, while Niemann is 1-0 on the year and has a 2.89 ERA.



View Tampa Bay vs Texas Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're backing the visitors in this one, you'll find the Rays listed as underdogs of +-160 at most sportsbooks. Total bettors saw the number open in the area of 8, depending on the book.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the American League's No. 7-rated Rays taking on the American League's No. 1-rated Rangers in this contest.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Texas has the American League's No. 3-rated offensive output, at 9.9 hits per game. The Rays average 8.2 hits per game, good for No. 13 on the American League list.

Defensively, Tampa Bay features the American League's No. 4-rated defense on the road, allowing 4.1 runs per game. Texas, meanwhile, comes in at No. 1 in the American League at home, scoring 6.1 runs per game.

The Rays were an 8-7 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Yankees. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Tampa Bay at -230 on the moneyline, while the total score (15) was good news for OVER bettors. Tampa Bay won a close affair on Wednesday in their last outing, defeating New York 8-7 in extra innings at Tropicana Field.

Texas won its last outing, a 3-1 result against the Angels on September 28. Bettors who backed the Rangers at -157 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (4) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. The Rangers enjoyed a 3-1 victory at the expense of the Angels on Wednesday, with Matt Harrison throwing 6 innings of 5-hit ball at Angel Stadium.


Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing Texas are 6-4
After playing NY Yankees are 4-6
After a win are 6-4

Texas Rangers Trends:
When playing on Friday are 8-2
Before playing Tampa Bay are 6-4
After playing LA Angels are 8-2
After a win are 8-2

A few Rays at Rangers trends to consider:
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 11 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Tampa Bay's last 17 games
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Texas
Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas' last 6 games at home
Texas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay


Next up:
Tampa Bay at Texas, Saturday, October 1