Michael Lorenzen and the Texas Rangers face off with the Tampa Bay Rays. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Rangers prediction and pick.

Rays-Rangers Projected Starters 

Shane Baz vs. Michael Lorenzen

Shane Baz (1-2) with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP

Last Start:  Baz struggled in his last start. He went 2.1 innings, giving up eight hits and three home runs. Seven runs would score against him as Baz took the loss to the Reds.

2024 Road Splits: In four starts on the road Baz is 1-2 with a 7.02 ERA and a .286 opponent batting average.

Michael Lorenzen (4-4) with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP

Last Start: Lorenzen went five innings in his last start, giving up four hits, four walks, and two home runs. He also gave up five runs and took the loss to the Orioles.

2024 Home Splits: Lorenzen has made five home starts this year, going 0-2 with a 3.64 ERA. He also has an opponent batting average of .212 at home.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rays-Rangers Odds

Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+162)

Moneyline: +100

Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-196)

Moneyline: -118

Over: 8.5 (-114)

Under: 8.5 (-106)

How to Watch Rays vs. Rangers

Time: 8:05 PM  ET/ 5:05 PM PT

TV: BSSUN/BSSW

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Rays are 24th in the majors in run scored while sitting 21st in batting average, 16th in on-base percentage, and 24th in slugging. They have been led by Isaac Paredea. He is hitting .276 on the year with a .365 on-base percentage. He has 14 home runs and 46 RBIS while scoring 32 times this year. Yandy Diaz is also having a solid year. He is hitting .267 on the year with a .324 on-base percentage. He has just seven home runs but has 40 RBIS while scoring 31 times. Randy Arozarena has struggled some but had some solid success still. He is hitting just .197 on the year but has 11 home runs, 28 RBIS, 10 stolen bases, and 36 runs scored.

Isaac Paredes has also been solid in the last week. He is hitting .333 with a .455 on-base percentage. He has two doubles, and triple, and two home runs. This has led to five RBIS and three runs scored. Jose Siri is not hitting well, but driving in runs. He is hitting just .188 but has two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored. Randy Arozarena is hitting well. He is hitting .300 in the last week, with a home run, RBI and three runs scored. Overall, the Rays are not hitting well. They are hitting just .213 as a team in nthe last week, with eight home runs, but just 16 runs scored.

Members of the Rays have just 14 career at-bats against Michael Lorenzen. They have hit well though, going 6-14 with an RBI. Amed Rosario is four for nine with a double, while Richie Palacio is two for two. Jose Siri is 0-1 but does have an RBI against Lorenzen.

Why The Rangers Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Rangers are 15th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 18th in batting average, 17th in on-base percentage, and 18th in slugging. Marcus Semien has been great this year. He is hitting .231 on the year with a .294 on-base percentage. He has 11 home runs and 45 RBIs while scoring 53 times. Adolis Garcia leads the team in home runs this year. He has hit just .221 but has 16 home runs and 44 RBIS. He has also scored 45 runs this year. Corey Seager rounds out the top bats of the year. He is hitting .260 on the year with a .344 on-base percentage. Seager has 15 home runs and 38 RBIs while scoring 36 times on the year.

Nathaniel Low has been on fire at the plate as of late. He is hitting .417 in the last week with three home runs and nine RBIs. He has also scored five times. Adolis Garcia has scored five times in the last week as well. He is hitting .261 in the last week with two home runs, two RBIS and five runs scored. Wyatt Langford is also hitting well. He is hitting .381 in the last week with a home run and four RBIS while scoring four times. The hottest bat in the lineup may belong to Leody Tavares. He is hitting .429 in the last week with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored. As a team, the Rangers are hitting hot. They have hit .270 in the last week with ten home runs and 30 runs scored in just six games.

Final Rays-Rangers Prediction & Pick

While Michael Lorenzen has not been great this year, he has been solid at times. He can pitch deep into a game, and given run support he can be good enough to get wins. The Rangers are hitting well as of late and are the better offensive unit overall. That will be enough in this game. Take the Rangers to get the win.

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Final Rays-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Rangers ML (-118)