Texas visits Tampa Bay following Lynn's solid performance
Texas Rangers (46-36, second in the AL West) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (46-36, second in the AL East)
St. Petersburg, Florida; Saturday, 4 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Rangers: Adrian Sampson (6-4, 4.14 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 66 strikeouts) Rays: Brendan McKay (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 0 strikeouts)
LINE: Rays favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Texas heads into the matchup fresh off a dominant performance by Lance Lynn. Lynn threw eight innings, giving up zero runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts against Tampa Bay.
The Rays are 20-19 in home games. Tampa Bay is hitting a collective batting average of .253 this season, led by Austin Meadows with an average of .297.
The Rangers are 18-21 on the road. Texas' team on-base percentage of .330 is eighth in the majors. Joey Gallo leads the lineup with an OBP of .414. The Rangers won the last meeting 5-0. Lance Lynn notched his 10th victory and Rougned Odor went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and an RBI for Texas. Yonny Chirinos took his fourth loss for Tampa Bay.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brandon Lowe leads the Rays with 34 extra base hits and is slugging .520. Willy Adames is 11-for-36 with two doubles, three home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games for Tampa Bay.
Gallo leads the Rangers with 19 home runs and is batting .279. Odor is 8-for-30 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and three RBIs over the last 10 games for Texas.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rays: 3-7, .202 batting average, 4.80 ERA, outscored by 18 runs
Rangers: 7-3, .268 batting average, 3.46 ERA, outscored opponents by four runs
Rays Injuries: Tyler Glasnow: 60-day IL (forearm), Jose De Leon: 60-day IL (elbow), Diego Castillo: 10-day IL (shoulder), Anthony Banda: 60-day IL (elbow), Kevin Kiermaier: day-to-day (calf), Daniel Robertson: 10-day IL (knee), Matt Duffy: 60-day IL (back), Christian Arroyo: 10-day IL (forearm), Anthony Bemboom: 60-day IL (knee).
Rangers Injuries: Edinson Volquez: 60-day IL (elbow), Jeffrey Springs: 60-day IL (biceps), Yohander Mendez: 60-day IL (elbow), Taylor Hearn: 60-day IL (elbow), Luke Farrell: 60-day IL (jaw), Kyle Dowdy: 10-day IL (elbow), Hunter Pence: 10-day IL (groin), Scott Heineman: 60-day IL (shoulder), Rougned Odor: day-to-day (leg), Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 10-day IL (finger).
