Tampa Bay Rays vs Texas Rangers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/04/2025

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Friday, April 4, 2025

Venue:  Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

Where to Watch:  Apple TV+

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +110, Rangers -130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +110, Rangers -130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +110, Rangers -130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  4-2 (2nd place, AL East)

Texas Rangers:  5-2 (1st place, AL West)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  4-2 last 10

Texas Rangers:  5-2 last 10

The Rays are entering this series off a loss but won their 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 4-2 record overall and have a road record of 0-0. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Rangers on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 11th in the MLB with a .720 OPS. Ryan Pepiot was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Zack Littell is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA this season. His team lost their only game this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 0 BB with 7 Ks on 4 hits through 6 IP against the Colorado Rockies.

The Rangers are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 5-2 record overall and have a home record of 3-1. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 24th in the MLB with a .583 OPS. Jack Leiter was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Tyler Mahle is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA this season. His team won their only game this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 4 BB with 3 strikeouts on 2 hits through 1.2 innings played against the Boston Red Sox.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked good in their games this season with their 4-2 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL East with a good start to the season. This will be their first road series of the year though. Meanwhile, the Rangers have also looked good in their games this season with their 5-2 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL West with a good start to the season. They have also looked good in their ballpark so far, going 3-1 in their home games. The Rangers have Mahle starting in this game and he was good in his first start of the season, only giving up 1 earned run, but he also didn't make it through 2 innings in that start and hasn't quite settled into the season yet. The Rays are going to have Littell starting here and he was great in his first start of the season. He pitched 6 full innings and only gave up 1 earned run even though his team still lost that game. The Rangers have had some great pitching this season between their starters and bullpen, but that is an area that the Rays can definitely match with their pitching staff. The Rays have the advantage though as they have had the better offense this season, scoring more runs in their games while the Rangers have struggled to put runs on the board. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Rays Rangers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, April 4, 2025 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Rays 3 Rangers 1.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 32-34 (-9.8 units) on the moneyline against AL West opponents. 49-65 (-6.1 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 92-96 (-8.4 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team  with a winning record. 45-31 UNDER on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5.

Texas Rangers: 42-30 (+13 units) on the moneyline against AL East opponents. 80-50 (+7.6 units) on the moneyline as a home favorite of -110 or higher. 74-47 (+16 units) on the moneyline vs. AL teams scoring 4.4 or less runs/game on the season. 31-23 UNDER vs. a team with a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.45 or better.

Tampa Bay Rays:  J. Lowe (RF) Ten Day IL - Oblique. A. Faedo (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. H. Kim (SS) Ten Day IL - Shoulder. S. McClanahan (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Triceps. R. Palacios (2B) Ten Day IL - Finger. N. Lavender (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Texas Rangers:  J. Jung (3B) Ten Day IL - Neck. J. Gray (SP) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. J. Sborz (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

“Skenes is an interesting one, because he had a lot of [strikeouts] last year, but I think he's also [good] pitchability-wise, and getting ground balls and getting outs is part of his game, too. I think he did that well today. We were putting the ball in play a decent amount and just not getting too many hits." - Jonny DeLuca after their loss against the Pirates in their game on Wednesday.

“It’s pitchability. That’s what you’re seeing. He’s not trying to bull his way through lineups. He's throwing strikes. He is not putting guys on base. He's pounding the strike zone, not beating himself. It's a very, very competitive game. When you start putting guys on, you start beating yourself a little bit. He's not doing that.” - Bruce Bochy after his team’s win against the Reds in their game on Wednesday.

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Jake Mangum (S) LF

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

José Caballero (R) RF

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Ben Rortvedt (L) C

Jonny DeLuca (R) CF

Marcus Semien (R) 2B

Wyatt Langford (R) LF

Joc Pederson (L) DH

Adolis García (R) RF

Jake Burger (R) 1B

Josh Smith (L) SS

Jonah Heim (S) C

Leody Taveras (S) CF

Ezequiel Duran (R) 3B

Batting Average:  Jake Mangum (.533)

Hits:  Jake Mangum (8)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (2)

RBI:  Brandon Lowe (6)

Stolen Bases:  Jake Mangum (3)

Wins:  Pete Fairbanks (1)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (1)

ERA:  Shane Baz (0.00)

Batting Average:  Kevin Pillar (.500)

Hits:  Wyatt Langford (7)

Home Runs:  Wyatt Langford (2)

RBI:  Adolis García (4)

Stolen Bases:  Leody Taveras (2)

Wins:  Jack Leiter (2)

Saves:  Luke Jackson (3)

ERA:  Jacob deGrom (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (11th season)

Texas Rangers: Bruce Bochy (3rd season)