The Houston Astros are set to square off against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. ATTSN Southwest will be airing this AL matchup and the action gets underway at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays Odds
The Astros have gone 55-29 SU this year and are 45-38 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 6.3 units for moneyline bettors and 3.9 units ATS. The Rays, on the other hand, are 40-41 SU and 46-34 ATS. They’ve gained 3.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 11.8 units ATS.
Rays games have an over/under record of 34-44-2 so far in 2018. Houston has an over/under record of 38-41-4.
Justin Verlander will get the nod for the visiting Astros. The right-handed Verlander (9-3, 1.82 ERA) has recorded 136 strikeouts in 113.2 innings so far. He’s 0-0 with 10 strikeouts and a 1.35 ERA against Tampa Bay this year.
The Rays are preparing to start righty Ryne Stanek (1-1, 1.85 ERA), who’s got 28 strikeouts and 13 walks to his name, as well as a 0.95 WHIP. Stanek is 0-0 with four strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA over two starts against Houston this year.
Houston’s pitchers have allowed 3.0 runs per game and its starters own a 2.90 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 10.21 K/9. The bullpen has an excellent ERA of just 2.58, along with a K/9 of 10.88.
Astros hitters have slashed .264/.339/.437 on their way to 5.1 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.1 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Houston’s hitters have been paced by second baseman Jose Altuve and third baseman Alex Bregman, who have combined to swat 22 home runs. Altuve is hitting .340/.406/.483 with seven home runs, 41 RBIs, 55 runs and 12 stolen bases, while Bregman (.277/.379/.513) is up to 15 homers, 51 RBIs, 51 runs and seven stolen bases.
In the home-team dugout, Tampa Bay’s pitchers have given up 3.9 runs per game overall this season. The team’s starters have an ERA of 3.84, a WHIP of 1.17 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.5. The bullpen has a 3.50 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 8.2 K/9.
The Tampa Bay offense is putting up 3.9 runs per contest, including 3.5 per game over its last 10 games and 4.4 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .228/.321/.371 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that span.
The Rays’ hitters have been led by third baseman Matt Duffy and catcher Wilson Ramos. Duffy is hitting .315/.361/.428 with four home runs, 23 RBIs and 22 runs scored, and Ramos has put up a line of .287/.332/.454 with 11 homers, 39 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
The Astros have gained 13.3 units and are 30-22 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 24 of those games, compared to 25 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Rays have lost 3.5 units and are 28-25 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in 25 of those games, compared to 27 that went under the total.
Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Rays, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – UNDER
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
The under has hit in four of Houston’s last seven games.
The Rays have won six of their last seven games SU.
Tampa Bay has recorded 18.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 19.6 over its last five.
The Astros have hit 14 home runs in their last 10 games. The Rays have hit eight over their last 10.
+++++
