MLB weekend preview: Rangers at Rays

Two teams in the thick of the American League Wild Card hunt, the Texas Rangers (45-36) and Tampa Bay Rays (46-35), will face off at Tropicana Field in a three-game series beginning on Friday night. Here's what bettors should anticipate.

Friday, 7:10 p.m. ET

Lance Lynn (9-4, 4.32 ERA) (TEX) +115 / +1.5 runs (-175) / Over 8 runs (-110) Yonny Chirinos (7-3, 3.00 ERA) (TB) -125 / -1.5 runs (+145) / Under 8 runs (-110)

MLB free play: Rangers moneyline

The Rays will be thankful to get back to Tropicana Field after a 3-7 road trip, but they'll face a Rangers starter who has had a hot hand in June.

Lance Lynn has improved to a 3.62 ERA in June off a 3.82 ERA in May. That difference is slight, but he's lowered his WHIP discernibly, from 1.303 to 1.021. Lynn has allowed just three walks in his last five starts combined and has struck out 38. Outfielder Avisail Garcia is the only Rays hitter with meaningful experience against Lynn, and he's 2-for-15 against him.

Yonny Chirinos' ERA in May was 2.19, but in June it is 3.16. His WHIP has also inflated from 0.892 in May to 1.149 in June. Chirinos will have to do yeoman's work Friday night, as his relief corps was taxed in an 18-inning marathon Thursday against the Twins. Shortstop Elvis Andrus, 14-for-42 (.333) in his last 10 games, is one of several Rangers batters Chirinos will have to be careful with. Left fielder Delino DeShields will help set the table with his .416 OBP in June.

Saturday, 4:10 p.m. ET

The Rangers will be the first major league team to encounter the Rays' vaunted two-way prospect, Brendan McKay, Saturday afternoon. McKay has gone 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in Triple-A this season, with 26 strikeouts in 25 innings and a WHIP of 0.760. McKay can also swing the bat well, with a .951 OPS in 49 at-bats in Durham, so he could be on the mound and in the lineup.

Tampa's lineup should put forth a good effort against Adrian Sampson (6-4, 4.14 ERA), who is 1-2 with a 6.92 ERA in 26 innings on the road this year. The Rays have been slumping on offense but got a shot in the arm when third baseman Yandy Diaz returned Thursday. Diaz, who was hitting .360 in June before he went on the IL for nine games with a hamstring injury, delivered the go-ahead RBI with a sac fly in the 18th inning against Minnesota.

Sunday, 1:10 p.m. ET

Jesse Chavez (3-2, 2.79 ERA) has mostly been used as a reliever for the Rangers this year, but Texas looks like a good bet in Sunday's series finale against the struggling Blake Snell (4-7, 5.01 ERA).

Chavez has been far better on the road than at home this season, with a 1.37 ERA in 26 1/3 innings away from Arlington. His ERA in 25 1/3 innings at home this season is 4.26.

Snell's 11.94 ERA in June speaks for itself. After he recorded just one out against the Yankees two starts ago, he was shelled by the Twins for seven runs on 11 hits in 3 1/3 innings.

---

Check out BetAmerica Sportsbook for all the weekend's baseball action!