ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – It will be a weekend series between MLB’s two best teams when the Rays host the Rangers.
The Rays (46-19) are coming off a three-game sweep of Minnesota, have won six straight and lead the American League East by 6.5 games over Baltimore. Texas (40-21), which had a day off Thursday, lost at St. Louis on Wednesday to snap a five-game win streak. The Rangers lead the AL West by five games over Houston.
During their streak, which includes three wins at Fenway Park on the front end, the Rays have allowed only eight runs. They allowed only three in as many games against the Twins. On Friday (6:40), when Tyler Glasnow is opposed by Andrew Heaney, the Rays will face an offense that is every bit as potent as their own.
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The Rangers lead MLB in batting (.277), runs (6.3 per game), and run differential (plus-154). The Rays lead in home runs (108), OPS (.812), stolen bases (83) and are second in scoring (5.7 per game) and run differential (plus-135).
“They’re obviously playing great ball,” said Luke Raley after Thursday’s game. “They score a lot of runs and I think it is going to be a real good series.”
The Rays enter the series 29-6 at Tropicana Field, the best home mark after 35 games since the 1978 Yankees were also 29-6. Tampa Bay has won seven of its last eight under the dome.
The weekend series will also reunite brothers Josh and Nathaniel Lowe. Twenty-five-year-old Josh is having a superb season for the Rays, hitting .295 with 11 homers, 39 RBI and 14 stolen bases. The 27-year-old Nathaniel, who made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2019 and played in 71 games over two seasons with the club, is hitting .279 with seven homers and 37 RBI.
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