3 Keys to Rangers Upsetting the Rays in AL Wild Card Series

2. Remember That Last Series?

It's been a minute since the Rangers and Rays played each other, and by a minute I mean almost three months. The last time these two teams met was back in mid-July when Tampa came to town for a three-game set shortly after the All-Star break.

If you recall, Texas swept that series fairly easily. After walking off the Rays in the opener, we won the middle game 5-3 and the finale 5-1, looking more dominant with each passing game.

That was before our big trade deadline, too. We didn't have Jordan Montgomery then, but we do now. That was also before Wander Franco's scandal ended his season, removing one of the best players from Tampa Bay's lineup.

The Rangers have won four of their last five matchups with the Rays, taking the season series 4-2 and outscoring the Rays by 2 runs. We may not have dominated them, but we were better than them and played well enough to beat them.

Again, we're looking for slight edges here because every advantage matters. In a short series, nothing can be overlooked.