Sunday, August 21, 2016

Tropicana Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Martin Perez vs. Drew Smyly

The Texas Rangers head to Tropicana Field on Sunday to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. The probable pitchers are Martin Perez for the Rangers and Drew Smyly for the Rays. The opening line for this game has Texas at +121 and Tampa Bay at -131. The over/under is 8. The Rangers have a 58-58-7 over/under mark and a 67-56-0 run line record, meaning they cover 55% of the time. The Rays are 52-68-0 against the run line and have a 55-58-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 43% of the time.

The Rangers head into this game with a 73-50 record, and they are 34-30 on the road. Starting pitcher Martin Perez has a 8-8 record with an ERA of 4.09 and a WHIP of 1.41. He has 76 strikeouts during his 152 innings pitched and he has given up 153 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 9.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.59. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.67 and they have allowed 407 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .268 against the pen while they've been struck out 311 times and walked 138 times this year. As a unit, Texas has given up 9.08 base hits per nine innings while striking out 6.94 hitters per nine. They are 18th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.28. The Rangers pitchers have collectively given up 1,107 base hits and 522 earned runs. They have allowed 157 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 401 batters and struck out 846. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.38 and their FIP as a unit is 4.67.

As a team, Texas is hitting .263, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .250 average on the road. The Rangers have a .430 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .322 which is good for 18th in the league. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.98 hits per contest. Adrian Beltre comes into this game hitting .291 and his on-base percentage is at .346. He has 130 hits this season along with 62 runs scored and 79 runs batted in. He's struck out 51 times and has walked 34 times. Ian Desmond is hitting .293 and he has an on-base percentage of .341. He has totaled 143 hits so far while scoring 85 runs and he's driven in 74. He has walked 34 times and has struck out 131 times. The Rangers have 1,104 hits, including 192 doubles and 157 home runs. They've stolen 71 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 27 times. Texas has walked 325 times this season and they've struck out 917 times as a unit. They've left 782 men on base and have a team OPS of .752. They score 4.68 runs per contest and have scored a total of 576 runs so far this year.

Tampa Bay comes into this game with a 28-35 home mark and a 50-70 overall record. With an ERA of 4.85, Drew Smyly has a 5-11 record and a 1.26 WHIP. He has 134 strikeouts over the 137.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 136 hits. He has allowed 8.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.32. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.34 and they have given up 363 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .261 against the Rays bullpen while being struck out 326 times and walking 123 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 8.79 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.15. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,033 base knocks and 488 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 154 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 349 hitters and struck out 1,011. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.31 while their FIP as a staff is 4.19.

As a team, they are batting .241, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .232 average at home. The Rays hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309 which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 27th in baseball with 8.11 hits per contest. Logan Forsythe comes into this matchup batting .280 and he has an OBP of .341. He has 100 hits this year along with 58 runs scored and 38 RBI. He's struck out 83 times and has walked on 29 occasions. Evan Longoria is hitting .289 and he has an OBP of .340. He has collected 135 hits so far while he's scored 63 runs and drove in 73. He has earned a walk 36 times and has punched out 108 times. The Rays as a unit have 973 base hits, including 209 doubles and 161 homers. They have 47 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 26 times. Tampa Bay as a team has walked 358 times this year and they have struck out 1,084 times. They've had 793 men left on base and have an OPS of .733. They score 4.17 runs per game and have totaled 500 runs so far this season.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 58-58-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 67-56-0 against the run line so far this season

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 55-58-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 52-68-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Texas Rangers

08/18/16 P Lucas Harrell Groin 15-day DL (8/17)
08/15/16 RF Shin-Soo Choo Forearm 15-day DL (8/15)
07/20/16 DH Prince Fielder Neck 15-day DL (7/19), out for season
06/26/16 P Colby Lewis Back 60-day DL (6/22)
06/22/16 P Derek Holland Shoulder 60-day DL (6/21)
05/28/16 P Tanner Scheppers Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
05/24/16 CF Drew Stubbs Toe 60-day DL (5/23)
04/04/16 RF Josh Hamilton Knee 60-day DL (3/25)

Tampa Bay Rays

08/20/16 2B Nick Franklin Concussion 7-day (8/20)
08/19/16 CF Kevin Kiermaier Hip injured last game, "?" Saturday vs. Texas Rangers
08/19/16 2B Logan Forsythe Back "?" Saturday vs. Texas Rangers
08/07/16 LF Desmond Jennings Knee 15-day DL (8/3)
08/07/16 P Enny Romero Back 15-day DL (8/4)
07/31/16 RF Oswaldo Arcia Elbow 15-day DL (7/27)
04/01/16 P Alex Cobb Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Rays

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