MLB Playoff Odds: Rays, Rangers tangle
It’s not often Cliff Lee is an underdog. But he will be on Wednesday afternoon when the Texas Rangers meet the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of their playoff series at Tropicana Field.
The Rays, with David Price on the mound, are minus 120 at the MLB betting window with the ‘over/under’ at seven. Game time is 10:37 a.m. (PT) with TBS televising.
Lee was favored in all but one of his 15 starts with Texas this season. The 32-year-old southpaw is 12-9 with a 3.18 ERA and the top WHIP in the American League at 1.00.
Top MLB Betting Odds at 5Dimes.
The American League Cy Young Award winner two years ago when he was with Cleveland, Lee has a phenomenal 185-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season in 212 1/3 innings pitching for Texas and Seattle.
Lee is the only Texas starter with playoff experience. The Rangers haven’t been in the postseason since 1999, when they were eliminated in the first round by the New York Yankees.
The Rangers won the American League West Division by nine games with a 90-72 mark. Tampa Bay captured the American League East Division by one game over the Yankees compiling an AL-best 96-66 record.
Price is the Rays’ ace going 19-6 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The 25-year-old lefty led the AL in winning percentage and was No. 2 in wins and No. 3 in ERA.
Rays closer Rafael Soriano led the AL in saves with 45 in 48 chances.
Neither team was overly impressive finishing the regular season. The Rangers went 7-8 in their last 15 games.
Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton did lead the AL in batting hitting .359. He went 3-for-11 during the final three games of the regular-season after missing 24 games because of two broken ribs. Hamilton also hit 32 homers and drove in 100 runs.
Tampa Bay is just 2-5 in its last seven games, scoring only nine runs during this span.
The Rays, however, are 49-32 at home this season, including 21-12 versus AL West opponents. They swept all three regular-season home contests against the Rangers when the teams met in mid-August and are 36-20 versus left-handers.
The Rangers are 39-42 on the road and were 19-25 against AL East foes, although they’ve won their last five against them.
The Rangers are 28-23 against southpaws but have struggled at Tropicana Field, which is the only Major League park to feature an artificial surface and all-dirt base paths. It also has distracting video boards.
Texas has lost 17 of its last 22 games at Tropicana Field.
Top MLB Betting Odds at 5Dimes.
The Rangers are 9-23 in their last 23 games on FieldTurf.
Lee is 6-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 13 career starts against the Rays, going 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA at Tropicana Field. Lee was magnificent in five playoff starts for the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies last year going 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA.
Lee and Price hooked up on Aug. 16 in Tampa with the Rays winning 6-4 as 110 favorites. It was the only time during the regular season Lee wasn’t a favorite when he pitched for Texas.
Price out-pitched Lee in that MLB matchup giving up two earned runs on five hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and five walks. Price didn’t factor in the decision, though. Lee allowed six earned runs in 7 2/3 innings, while fanning 10 and issuing one base on balls.
Tampa Bay has won its last four games against Texas with all of the contests going ‘over.’ The ‘under’ has cashed, however, in Tampa’s last eight games. The ‘under’ is 14-3-1 in the Rays’ last 18 home contests.
It’s not often Cliff Lee is an underdog. But he will be on Wednesday afternoon when the Texas Rangers meet the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of their playoff series at Tropicana Field.
The Rays, with David Price on the mound, are minus 120 at the MLB betting window with the ‘over/under’ at seven. Game time is 10:37 a.m. (PT) with TBS televising.
Lee was favored in all but one of his 15 starts with Texas this season. The 32-year-old southpaw is 12-9 with a 3.18 ERA and the top WHIP in the American League at 1.00.
Top MLB Betting Odds at 5Dimes.
The American League Cy Young Award winner two years ago when he was with Cleveland, Lee has a phenomenal 185-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season in 212 1/3 innings pitching for Texas and Seattle.
Lee is the only Texas starter with playoff experience. The Rangers haven’t been in the postseason since 1999, when they were eliminated in the first round by the New York Yankees.
The Rangers won the American League West Division by nine games with a 90-72 mark. Tampa Bay captured the American League East Division by one game over the Yankees compiling an AL-best 96-66 record.
Price is the Rays’ ace going 19-6 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The 25-year-old lefty led the AL in winning percentage and was No. 2 in wins and No. 3 in ERA.
Rays closer Rafael Soriano led the AL in saves with 45 in 48 chances.
Neither team was overly impressive finishing the regular season. The Rangers went 7-8 in their last 15 games.
Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton did lead the AL in batting hitting .359. He went 3-for-11 during the final three games of the regular-season after missing 24 games because of two broken ribs. Hamilton also hit 32 homers and drove in 100 runs.
Tampa Bay is just 2-5 in its last seven games, scoring only nine runs during this span.
The Rays, however, are 49-32 at home this season, including 21-12 versus AL West opponents. They swept all three regular-season home contests against the Rangers when the teams met in mid-August and are 36-20 versus left-handers.
The Rangers are 39-42 on the road and were 19-25 against AL East foes, although they’ve won their last five against them.
The Rangers are 28-23 against southpaws but have struggled at Tropicana Field, which is the only Major League park to feature an artificial surface and all-dirt base paths. It also has distracting video boards.
Texas has lost 17 of its last 22 games at Tropicana Field.
Top MLB Betting Odds at 5Dimes.
The Rangers are 9-23 in their last 23 games on FieldTurf.
Lee is 6-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 13 career starts against the Rays, going 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA at Tropicana Field. Lee was magnificent in five playoff starts for the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies last year going 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA.
Lee and Price hooked up on Aug. 16 in Tampa with the Rays winning 6-4 as 110 favorites. It was the only time during the regular season Lee wasn’t a favorite when he pitched for Texas.
Price out-pitched Lee in that MLB matchup giving up two earned runs on five hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and five walks. Price didn’t factor in the decision, though. Lee allowed six earned runs in 7 2/3 innings, while fanning 10 and issuing one base on balls.
Tampa Bay has won its last four games against Texas with all of the contests going ‘over.’ The ‘under’ has cashed, however, in Tampa’s last eight games. The ‘under’ is 14-3-1 in the Rays’ last 18 home contests.