Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/28/2026

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Venue:  Tropicana Field, Petersburg, FL

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers +150, Rays -181; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers +150, Rays -180; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers +150, Rays -185; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Texas Rangers:  54-52 (1st place, AL West)

Tampa Bay Rays:  62-43 (1st place, AL East)

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Texas Rangers:  5-5 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  6-4 last 10

The Rangers are entering this series off a win and won their 4-game series against the Seattle Mariners 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 54-52 record overall and have a road record of 26-27. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Rays on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 15th in the MLB with a .725 OPS. Kumar Rocker was their starting pitcher on Monday while Cal Quantrill is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 3-3 with a 4.05 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 3 BB with 1 SO on 2 hits through 3 IP against the Chicago White Sox.

The Rays are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 62-43 record overall and have a home record of 38-15. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Rangers on Tuesday and they have Monday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 7th in the MLB with a .736 OPS. Drew Rasmussen was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Griffin Jax is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 6-7 with a 3.89 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts on 3 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 62-43 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 38-15 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Rangers have looked good in their games this season with their 54-52 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL West. They haven't been a great road team though with their 26-27 road record this year. The Rangers just won their last series against the Mariners, but they still haven't looked great lately. They are only 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Rays are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have one of the best home records in the entire league. Jax is on the mound for the Rays in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 6-7 with a 3.89 ERA and he has looked a lot better lately. He is coming off a great start in which he only gave up 1 earned run and the team has been having more success lately too, winning 2 of their last 3 games with him making an appearance. The Rangers are going with Quantrill in this one and he hasn't looked bad this season. He is 3-3 with a 4.05 ERA, but the team hasn't been having a ton of success with him lately. They have lost 2 games in a row now with him making an appearance and even though he only gave up 2 earned runs in his last outing, he only pitched 3 innings and isn't going to pitch deep in this one either. The Rays have one of the best pitching staffs in the league this season and they also have the stronger offense to lean on which gives them the edge here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Rangers Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, July 28, 2026 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Rays 4 Rangers 1.

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Texas Rangers: 212-217 (-21 units) on the moneyline in all games. 92-122 (-28 units) on the moneyline in road games. 164-159 (-7.9 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 31-19 OVER vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better.

Tampa Bay Rays: 122-94 (+6.2 units) on the moneyline in home games. 157-150 (+7.5 units) on the moneyline vs. good fielding teams - averaging 0.6 errors/game or less. 83-66 (+4.3 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a poor bullpen whose ERA is 4.20 or worse. 4-1 OVER at home against AL West opponents.

Texas Rangers:  J. Jung (3B) Ten Day IL - Calf. K. Higashioka (C) Ten Day IL - Flexor Tendon. J. Corniell (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Beeks (RP) Sixty Day IL - Back. C. Martin (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. C. Seager (SS) Ten Day IL - Back. C. Freeman (3B) Ten Day IL - Disc. J. Leiter (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Ankle. M. Helman (CF) Sixty Day IL - Hand. D. Jansen (C) Ten Day IL - Forearm. R. Garcia (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. C. Baumler (RP) Sixty Day IL - Ribs. C. Bradford (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Montgomery (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  J. Heasley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Lux (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. Fraley (RF) Ten Day IL - Groin. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. S. Wilson (RP) Sixty Day IL - Back. M. Rodriguez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“Every day he says he feels good, I'm really happy. I'm hoping it continues as far as trending that direction. It's always encouraging. I'm always happy when I hear an update about Corey doing well.” - Skip Schumaker on the injury to Corey Seager. 

“Just a well-executed, masterful performance.” - Kevin Cash on Drew Rasmussen after his team’s win against the Guardians in their game on Sunday. 

Joc Pederson (L) DH

Wyatt Langford (R) LF

Ezequiel Duran (R) SS

Brandon Nimmo (L) RF

Evan Carter (L) CF

Jake Burger (R) 1B

Nicky Lopez (L) 2B

Josh Smith (L) 3B

Elias Díaz (R) C

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Ryan Vilade (R) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Jonny DeLuca (R) RF

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Ben Williamson (R) SS

Cedric Mullins (L) CF

Nick Fortes (R) C

Richie Palacios (L) 2B

Batting Average:  Nicky Lopez (.324)

Hits:  Josh Jung (104)

Home Runs:  Jake Burger (18)

RBI:  Jake Burger (64)

Stolen Bases:  Evan Carter (12)

Wins:  Nathan Eovaldi (10)

Saves:  Jacob Latz (20)

ERA:  Marco Gonzales (0.00)

Batting Average:  Yandy Díaz (.303)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (119)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (29)

RBI:  Jonathan Aranda (65)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (26)

Wins:  Nick Martinez (10)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (28)

ERA:  Michael Grove (0.00)

Managers:

Texas Rangers: Skip Schumaker (1st season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)