Texas Rangers vs. Cleveland Indians Preview and Betting Odds

The Texas Rangers (17-8) and Cleveland Indians (13-10) will open up a three-game American League series on Friday night at Progressive Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 ET.

Las Vegas oddsmakers have established the Rangers as -145 road favorites, while the total has fallen by a half run from its original number of 8.5 in some spots.

Texas dropped two of three games against the Toronto Blue Jays to open up its current road trip, as the club allowed 19 runs in losing the final two games of the series. The Rangers were second in the majors with a run differential of plus-55 before suffering an 11-5 loss in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon.

Colby Lewis (3-0, 1.93 ERA) has led the club to four wins in his five starts, including a 7-2 home win over the Tampa Bay Rays last time out. He allowed just a single run and three hits over six frames in that effort.

The right-hander will be facing the Indians for the sixth time (fifth start) in his career, coming in with a perfect 2-0 mark and 5.87 ERA, as the Rangers have won all five games at Progressive Field that he's appeared in.

Sports bettors will find that the Rangers are 6-1 in Lewis' last seven starts as a road favorite, while the "under" is 17-4 in that situation.

Cleveland probably wishes this game was played in the Lone Star State, considering it boasts a 9-3 road record following a 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on Thursday night. The Indians are averaging just 3.08 runs per game at home, which is a stark contrast to the Rangers plating 6.46 runners on the road.

Jeanmar Gomez (1-1, 2.35 ERA) is set to make his fifth appearance (fourth start) of the 2012 campaign, coming off a 2-1 home loss to the Los Angeles Angels last time out. He has managed to serve up just one home run in 15.1 combined innings this year.

The Indians are 8-2 in Gomez's 10 career home starts, as he prepares to make his first ever appearance versus the Rangers.

Weather forecasts suggest isolated thunderstorms in the area and game-time temperatures in the upper-60s, with a swirling breeze of 5-10 mph throughout the game.