Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays 4/18/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Cole Hamels vs. Jake Faria

Tropicana Field is the site of the matchup between the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Cole Hamels for the Rangers and Jake Faria for the Rays.

Texas opens at +100 while Tampa Bay opens at -110. The Rangers have a 8-9-1 over/under record and a 7-11-0 run line mark. The Rays are 8-8-0 against the run line and have a 10-6-0 over/under record.

Valuable Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 8-9-1 against the over/under

The Texas Rangers are 7-11-0 against the run line

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 10-6-0 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 8-8-0 against the run line

Key Texas Rangers Injuries

04/16/18 P Tim Lincecum Blister 60-day DL (03/26)
04/13/18 SS Elvis Andrus Elbow 10-day DL (04/12)
04/11/18 P Doug Fister Hip 10-day DL (04/10)
04/10/18 2B Rougned Odor Hamstring 10-day DL (04/10)
04/02/18 P Ricardo Rodriguez Elbow 60-day DL (04/02)
04/01/18 CF Delino DeShields Hand 10-day DL (03/31)
03/30/18 P Joe Palumbo Elbow 60-day DL (02/23)
03/26/18 P Clayton Blackburn Elbow 60-day DL (03/19)
03/26/18 P Ronald Herrera Shoulder 60-day DL (03/21)

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

04/17/18 CF Kevin Kiermaier Thumb 10-day DL (04/16)
04/12/18 1B Brad Miller Groin 10-day DL (04/09)
04/11/18 P Jose De Leon Elbow 60-day DL (03/28)
03/29/18 P Nathan Eovaldi Elbow 10-day DL (03/28)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rangers have a 6-12 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels has a 1-2 record with an earned run average of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.55 this year. He has 30 strikeouts over his 22 innings pitched and he's given up 23 hits. He's allowed 9.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 6. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.33 and they have given up 64 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the bullpen and they've struck out 65 hitters and walked 28 batters. As a team, Texas allows 9.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.67. The Rangers pitchers collectively have given up 170 base hits and 83 earned runs. They have allowed 19 home runs this season, ranking them 8th in the league. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 65 batters and struck out 149. They have walked 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.47 and their FIP as a unit is 4.16.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Texas is hitting .226, good for 25th in the league. The Rangers hold a .367 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .296, which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 7.6 hits per game. Nomar Mazara is hitting .311 with an on-base percentage of .354. He has 19 hits this season in 61 at bats with 5 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .426 and an OPS+ of 114. Elvis Andrus is hitting .327 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .426. He has totaled 17 hits and he has driven in 5 men in 52 at bats. His OPS+ is 155 while his slugging percentage is at .500. The Rangers have 136 hits, including 25 doubles and 20 home runs. Texas has walked 53 times so far this season and they have struck out 168 times as a unit. They have left 123 men on base and have a team OPS of .663. They score 3.28 runs per contest and have scored a total of 59 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 4-12 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 8.18, Jake Faria has a 0-1 record and a 1.91 WHIP this season. He has 9 strikeouts over the 11 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 11 hits. He allows 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.63. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.90 and they have given up 70 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 61 batters and walked 33 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 4.78. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 135 base knocks and 75 earned runs this season. They have given up 17 home runs this year, which ranks 12th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 66 hitters and struck out 133 batters. They give up a walk 4.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.42 while their FIP as a staff is 4.32.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .233, good for 16th in the league. The Rays hold a .337 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 7.8 hits per contest. Matt Duffy comes into this matchup batting .267 with an OBP of .302. He has 16 hits this year along with 7 RBI in 60 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .350 with an OPS+ of 90. Joey Wendle is hitting .244 this season and he has an OBP of .360. He has collected 10 hits in 41 at bats while driving in 5 runs. He has an OPS+ of 133 and a slugging percentage of .439. The Rays as a unit have 125 base hits, including 19 doubles and 9 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 61 times this year and they have struck out on 144 occasions. They have had 119 men left on base and have an OPS of .650. They have scored 3.5 runs per game and totaled 56 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Rangers/Rays MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Rays -110

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn