The Tampa Bay Rays will host the Texas Rangers in a three-game American League Wild Card Round series beginning on Tuesday at Tropicana Field.
The Rays clinched a playoff spot long ago and locked themselves into the top wild-card spot, No. 4 overall in the American League. The Rangers lost out in a grueling race for AL West supremacy to find themselves in the Wild Card Round.
The Rays, who will host all three potential games, opened as -172 favorites to advance to the ALDS at FanDuel. The road Rangers are +140 underdogs.
Below, you'll find the full schedule for this series, as well as a breakdown of both teams and how they got to this point.
All odds cited below via FanDuel. For updated odds on every series throughout the postseason, be sure to visit our MLB futures page. For individual game odds throughout the postseason at a variety of sportsbooks, visit our MLB odds page.
Rangers vs. Rays AL Wild Card Round Schedule
- Game 1: Tuesday, October 3, 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 2: Wednesday, October 4, 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 3: Thursday, October 5, 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC (if necessary)
Texas Rangers
- World Series Odds: +1800
- Pennant Odds: +750
- Regular Season Record: 90-72
- Team wRC+ (Rank): 115 (4th)
- Starting Pitching xFIP (Rank): 4.36 (19th)
- Bullpen xFIP (Rank): 4.43 (22nd)
How They Got Here
After a headline-stealing offseason in which the Rangers spent a ton of money to try and put a contender on the field, Texas got off to a fast start. The Rangers led the AL West from April 9 to August 26. They lost ground to the Astros after that, but reclaimed first place in late September before dropping the title on the final day of the season.
The Rangers also finished third in Isolated Power and hit fly balls at the second-highest frequency, plenty of which turn into home runs at the hitter-friendly Globe Life Field.
Offense
Texas finished top five in wRC+ for the first time since 2012, a stunning turnaround after finishing 20th in that same category a season ago.
The Rangers’ offense has been well disciplined and sits in the top five in walk rate while maintaining average strikeout numbers.
Just about everyone in this offense has hit, and while you’re likely familiar with Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, you’ll also want to pay attention to catcher Jonah Heim and rookie Josh Jung. The former has been a pleasant surprise, swatting 18 home runs to go along with a .260 average, while the latter made his first All-Star appearance this season and posted a 111 OPS+.
Rotation
Both Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are on the shelf with injuries. deGrom is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and won’t be seen until next year, but there’s a chance Scherzer, who injured his shoulder this summer, will make it back for the playoffs.
Luckily, Jordan Montgomery has transformed into an excellent pitcher since coming over in a trade with the Cardinals. He owns a 2.79 ERA in 11 starts for Texas and will enter the postseason as the Rangers’ most trustworthy arm.
Nathan Eovaldi has taken a bit of a step back this season, but should still be a reliable option come October, and while Jon Gray hasn’t been great, he’s pitched to more contact this year, which has helped considering the Rangers rate very well on defense. There’s a chance we also see Dane Dunning make some starts this postseason after he posted an impressive 3.72 ERA during the regular season.
Bullpen
Aroldis Chapman regained some of his magic in a Royals uniform this season, but since coming over via trade, he’s posted a brutal 3.72 ERA in 29 innings. The bullpen is what’s going to ultimately hold this team back as Chapman has been of little use and the Rangers ranked 20th in bullpen ERA this season.
Starters such as Dunning, Cody Bradford, Andrew Heaney and Martin Perez will be pulled into helping this struggling stable in October, but given how all three have pitched, it’s looking pretty bleak. Jose Leclerc has been excellent and should take most of the high-leverage work, and perhaps the experienced Will Smith will rebound after a tough regular season. Time will tell.
—Kenny Ducey
Bet Rangers vs. Rays at FanDuel
Tampa Bay Rays
- World Series Odds: +1200
- Pennant Odds: +500
- Regular Season Record: 99-63
- Team wRC+ (Rank): 117 (2nd)
- Starting Pitching xFIP (Rank): 3.83 (1st)
- Bullpen xFIP (Rank): 4.21 (15th)
How They Got Here
Taking advantage of a favorable schedule to begin the year, the Rays got off to 13-0 and 27-6 starts. They looked like they could threaten the 2001 Mariners regular season wins record. Instead, injuries, natural regression and a July slump brought the Rays back down to earth a bit. However, they still finished second in the AL East and won their second-most games in franchise history.
Offense
Last season, the Rays ranked 21st in runs scored and then scored just two runs in 24 innings in last year’s Wild Card Series. This year, they are top five in runs scored, but it’s the depth of their lineup that truly stands out. Six Rays’ players have 20 or more home runs and 10 have reached double digits. They rank in the top 12 in slugging percentage, hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity.
However, the Rays can also win with small ball. Four players have 20 or more stolen bases and six have double digits.Tampa Bay ranks fourth in MLB in stolen bases and its multifaceted offense could pay big dividends in October.
Rotation
In April, the Rays looked like they had the scariest rotation in baseball. However, Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmusse, and Shane McClanahan all got hurt. Despite the losses, the Rays still bring a deep rotation into October.
Tyler Glasnow and Zach Eflin appear likely to start the first two games of the Wild Card Series. Aaron Civale was acquired as a trade deadline acquisition and Zack Littell gives manager Kevin Cash additional flexibility.
Bullpen
The Rays’ bullpen has been a strength all season and ranks seventh in ERA and first in WHIP. Pete Fairbanks and Jason Adam have combined for 37 saves in 47 opportunities. Fairbanks, Adam and Robert Stephenson each have a K/9 of 11.4 or higher.
However, Adam has been dealing with an oblique injury and hasn’t pitched since September 22nd, so it’s worth checking on his status prior to the playoffs.
—Alex Hinton
