MLB Sportsbook Fave Tampa Bay Looks to Even Series Versus the Rangers

The MLB sportsbook favored Tampa Bay Rays will look to even their Divisional Playoff Series versus the Texas Rangers on Thursday afternoon after the Rangers shocked the Rays 5 to 1 as +125 betting dogs.

The Rays send ace Jamie Shields to the mound to stop the red hot Rangers.  Texas, bolstered by a strong performance from pitcher Cliff Lee and a hot hitting day, beat the Rays with ease in Game 1.  They send 29-year-old C.J. Wilson to the mound to counter Shields.

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Will Wilson find a way to put the Rangers up 2 to 0?  Or, will Tampa even the series?

Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays

Where:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
When:  October 7th, 2010 at 2:30 pm EST
TV:  TBS

MLB Betting Lines

Texas Rangers
C.J. Wilson – R                       +109    O 8 -110

Tampa Bay Rays
Jamie Shields – L                    -116     U 8 -110

The MLB sportsbook trends favor the Texas Rangers to win this game.

• The Texas Rangers are 7 and 1 in their last 8 games versus a team with a winning record.
• The Texas Rangers are 7 and 1 in C.J. Wilson’s last 8 starts versus a team with a winning record.
• The Tampa Bay Rays are 1 and 4 in their last 5 playoff games.
• The Tampa Bay Rays are 0 and 4 in Jamie Shields’ last 4 starts during Game 2 of a series.

The MLB sportsbook odds makers continue to give the benefit of the doubt to the Tampa Bay Rays even though Texas handled them fairly easily on Wednesday.

The Rays’ Jamie Shields hasn’t been the ace that everybody expected him to be this season. Shields went 13 and 15 during the regular season with a 5.18 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.  He’s lost 3 starts in a row and 4 out of his last 6.  Shields gave up 12 hits and 6 earned runs in only 5 innings in his last start against the Kansas City Royals.  Now, he faces a team that averages 4.86 runs per game and has the best team batting average in Major League Baseball.

The Rangers are dynamite behind the plate.  Their starting pitcher on Thursday afternoon, C.J. Wilson, isn’t bad on the mound either.  Wilson’s ERA is 3.35.  His record on the season was 15 and 8 and his WHIP was a decent 1.25.

He’s not going to dominate the Tampa Bay Rays the way that Cliff Lee did on Wednesday but he won’t need to because the Rangers should be able to get to Shields.  Tampa Bay was hesitant about taking pitcher David Price out of the game even though Price obviously didn’t have it on Wednesday.  If they’re hesitant about pulling Shields, the Rangers could be up by 6 runs by the 4th inning.

Even though Tampa Bay secured the second best record in baseball and is obviously one of the class teams of the Major Leagues, I just can’t back them against the Texas Rangers in this game.  C.J. Wilson is a good pitcher, the Rangers batters are on fire, and Texas punched the Rays in the mouth on Wednesday.

Coming back so soon after such a shocking loss cannot be a good thing for the Rays.  I see the Texas Rangers winning again on Thursday at terrific odds in the MLB sportsbook and taking a 2 to 0 lead over Tampa Bay in this Divisional Playoff Series.  

MLB Sportsbook Pick:  Texas Rangers +109

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Sources:  mlb.com, espn.com, covers.com