The Texas Rangers play host to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night in the opener of this American league series from Globe Life Field. Both teams come into this one sitting in first-place in their respective divisions, while also looking like serious contenders to win the AL as a whole. In the first three-game set between these two last month, the Rays won two of three games at home. With the rematch shifting to Texas this week, the Rangers will certainly be looking to get some revenge. This could be MLB's most exciting matchup this week and one that fans will want to be sure to tune in for.
The Rays continue their midwest road trip on Monday, as they shift their sights from one of baseball's worst teams to one of its best teams. In the first series with the Rangers, the Rays were able to take two of three games and lean heavily on one of baseball's best home records. Hitting the road could be a challenge for them here, especially considering a serious dropoff between their home and road records. They still have a winning record on the road but adding in recent struggles could mean a challenging set of games. They've only gone 3-7 over their last ten games, which leaves quite a it to be desired, especially as they aim to have a second-half as strong as the first half. In a potential preview of the AL Championship Series, the Rays will want to set the tone in Monday night's opener.
Shane McClanahan will take the ball for the Rays in this one, as the lefty continues to try to improve upon one of baseball's best first halves. The lefty has been electric this season, with not only his 11-1 record turning heads, but also his 2.53 ERA. In the first series between these two sides, he went seven innings, allowing four hits and three runs, as he hopes to draw from that success. His last time out did happen to be his worst start of the season, only making it 3.0 innings, allowing four runs, though the All-Star break has hopefully allowed him to refresh and reset things.
Tampa Bay's offense has been one of the best in the league this season and will need to be strong to keep pace with the Rangers, especially if McClanahan struggles for the second-straight start. They average 5.6 runs per game, while averaging .257 and 1.5 home runs per game. Yandy Diaz (.323 average) has been a mainstay getting on base, whole Randy Arozarena (59 RBI) continues to be feared. The talk of the season so far has been the power shown by Jose Si ri (18 home runs), even as they look for more power from the rest of the lineup.