The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays will square off in a matchup at Tropicana Field on Saturday night in Tampa Bay. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Rangers-Rays prediction and pick, laid out below.

The Texas Rangers are far out of playoff contention, with a 63-81 record that has put them in third place in the AL West. After a whirlwind offseason, a lot more was expected of this team. Instead, they seem to have retreated back into their rebuild.

Tampa Bay has played red hot over the last two months or so, bringing their record to 80-64, third place in the AL East. Tampa Bay is seven games out of the lead for the division, but holds a half-game lead over Seattle for the second spot in the AL Wild Card.

Here are the Rangers-Rays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rangers-Rays Odds

Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-188)

Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+155)

Over: 7 (-112)

Under: 7 (-108)

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

Jon Gray will be tonight's starting pitcher for Texas. Gray has started 20 games, pitching to a 3.79 ERA with 121 strikeouts in 107 innings. Gray has struck out 27.4 percent of the batters he has faced, the highest rate of his career, and ranking in the 78th percentile in the league. Batters are hitting under .200 against Gray's offspeed offerings. Texas' bullpen ranks eleventh with a 3.68 ERA in 571.2 innings. The group is highlighted by lefties Brock Burke and Matt Moore, along with righty Jose Leclerc. Burke has pitched to a 1.47 ERA, recording 81 strikeouts in 73.2 innings. Matt Moore has struck out 72 in 65 innings, with a 2.05 ERA. Leclerc has pitched to a 3.09 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 43.2 innings.

Texas's offense was supposed to be lifted by offseason pickups Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. The two have performed well, combining 53 home runs, 153 RBI, and 48 doubles. Adolis Garcia is second on the team with 25 home runs and leads the team with 92 RBI and 24 stolen bases. Semien has also stolen 24 bases. Nathaniel Lowe belted his 25th home run of the season last night, the third Ranger to surpass that total. Rookie Josh Jung has announced his presence, hitting .250 with two home runs in his eight games with the big league club. Jonah Heim has solidified himself as a great catcher, with 14 home runs, 20 doubles, and great defense behind the plate. Texas leads the league with 119 stolen bases.

Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread

Shawn Armstrong will be tonight's opener. Armstrong will be making his third open of the season, allowing just one earned run in six innings across the first two instances. Ryan Yarbrough is likely to be the bulk pitcher in this one. Yarbrough has pitched to a 4.38 ERA in 18 appearances, nine of which have been starts. The soft-tossing lefty has 58 strikeouts in 76 innings. In his last two appearances, both against the Yankees, Yarbrough has not allowed an earned run in 7.2 innings, surrendering just five hits and no walks. Jason Adam has seen the bulk of the closing opportunities for this club, pitching to a sparkling 1.51 ERA with eight saves and 72 strikeouts in 59.2 innings.

Randy Arozarena leads the offense with 19 home runs, 79 RBI, 30 stolen bases, and 37 doubles. Isaac Paredes has tied for the team lead with 19 home runs, adding 14 doubles in 95 games. Yandy Diaz leads the team with a .293 batting average, walking more than he has struck out, and has added nine home runs and 32 doubles. Ji-man Choi has destroyed righties, with all ten of his home runs coming when he has the platoon advantage. Tampa Bay ranks fifth with 253 doubles.

Final Rangers-Rays Prediction & Pick

Tampa Bay just has too much offense.

Final Rangers-Rays Prediction & Pick: Tampa Bay -1.5 (+155), over 7 (-112)