Rays Prepare for Key Series Against Rangers Starting Tuesday Night

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays are looking to turn their recent fortunes around against the Texas Rangers in a three-game series kicking off Tuesday night at Steinbrenner Field.

The Rangers have dominated the Rays in their past encounters, winning all three games in Texas earlier this season and holding a 12-2 record in the regular season against Tampa Bay since 2023. Additionally, the Rays faced a painful defeat as the Rangers swept them in the 2023 AL Wild-Card series, losing 4-0 and 7-1 at Tropicana Field.

Tonight’s game features a strong pitching matchup with Tyler Mahle (5-2, 1.64 ERA) taking the mound for the Rangers against Drew Rasmussen (4-4, 2.33). Rasmussen has been in excellent form, having pitched 18 consecutive scoreless innings over his last three starts.

Fans can catch the game with an adjusted start time for night games that takes effect in June. Here are the starting lineups for both teams:

**Rangers:** Josh Smith (DH), Wyatt Langford (LF), Corey Seager (SS), Josh Jung (3B), Alejandro Osuna (RF), Marcus Semien (2B), Jake Burger (1B), Evan Carter (CF), Kyle Higashioka (C).

**Rays:** Josh Lowe (RF), Brandon Lowe (2B), Yandy Díaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Junior Caminero (3B), Jake Mangum (LF), Kameron Misner (CF), Danny Jansen (C), Taylor Walls (SS).

Tom Brew, the publisher of “Tampa Bay Rays on SI,” has reported on the team since 2019. Brew has a history with notable publications like the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star, and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.