Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction & Betting Tips 8/2/2024

Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Preview

At 8:10 PM ET, the Astros and Rays face off in an AL matchup. This one is taking place at Minute Maid Park in Houston and has the Astros as the heavy favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -161. The money line odds for a Rays win are at +137, and they are 4th in the AL East, while the Astros lead the AL West.

Friday’s over/under line is at 8 runs, and the starting pitching matchup features Shane Baz for the Rays and Yusei Kikuchi for the Astros.

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Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays Trends and Key Stats

• Over the course of their previous five away games, the Rays have recorded a 3-2 record, with a 3-2 performance on the runline.
• On the other side, the Astros have gone 2-3 (SU) and 2-3 in their previous five home contests.
• The Astros have a straight-up record of 5-5 in their last ten games as the favorite, and a 3-7 record vs. the runline.
• Looking at the Rays’ previous ten games as the underdog they are 5-5 straight-up and 7-3 vs. the runline.

Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction

The Rays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Marlins with a 6-2 loss. Tampa Bay was the heavy favorite at -267 going into the game but fell behind early, as the Marlins scored three times in the 3rd.

Taj Bradley got the start for the Rays and took the loss. He only lasted five innings, giving up four earned runs on four hits. The Rays’ offense scored their only two runs in the 2nd inning and then didn’t score again the rest of the game.

Tampa Bay is on the road today vs. the Astros, and they are nine games behind the Orioles for the AL East lead. Overall, the Rays are 55-53, and they are 4th in the AL East. Tampa Bay’s record in the AL East is 16-21 this season.

The Rays have an overall series record of 19-12-4 this season, and they are just above .500 both at home (30-29) and on the road (25-24). As the road underdog, the Rays are 16-15 this season, and they are 25-26 as the underdog overall. Tampa Bay’s overall record as the favorite is 30-27 this season.

When it comes to run line betting, the Tampa Bay Rays have been a solid option on the road this season, going 29-20. They have a run line record of 53-55 overall, with an average run margin of -0.4 runs per game. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 31-20 against the run line, compared to 22-35 as the favorite.

The Tampa Bay Rays are on the road against the Houston Astros today, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The combined run average in Rays games this season is 8.4 runs, and their over/under record is 52-51. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 13-15-1. The over has hit in two straight games for the Rays.

Shane Baz is on the mound for the Rays, and he is making his 3rd start of the season. He has gone 6 innings in each of his first two starts, and he has 7 strikeouts in each outing. Baz has not factored into the decision in either start, but he has been able to limit the long ball, as he has not allowed a home run yet this season.

For the season, the Rays are averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 27th in the league. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .234 and are 23rd in home runs. However, they do come into the game with a collective batting average of .29, which is 10th in the league.

Christopher Morel has been a bright spot for the Rays this season in terms of power, as he has 20 homers, which is 11th in the league. However, he is batting just .200 for the season. Yandy Diaz is hitting .271 and is 2nd on the team with 49 RBIs. Over his last seven games, Brandon Lowe is hitting .435 with a homer and five RBIs.

Mauricio Dubon had only one at-bat in the Astros’s last game, but he made it count, going deep for a homer. The Astros really needed it, as they were trailing the Pirates 4-0 at the time. Houston’s offense scored their other four runs in the 2nd inning to take the lead. Going into the game, the Astros were at -233 on the money line.

Framber Valdez got the start for the Astros and took the win. He went six innings, giving up four runs on six hits. Valdez also issued three walks and struck out 10 Pirates batters. Josh Hjson got the save out of the bullpen.

The Astros are currently tied with the Mariners for the AL West lead, as both teams are 56-52 heading into today’s game vs. the Rays. The Astros are coming off losing two of three in their series vs. the Pirates. So far, they are 19-17 in divisional games this year.

At home, the Astros are 31-24 this year and 25-28 on the road. As the favorite, the Astros have gone 42-37 and 14-15 as the underdog. Houston’s overall series record is 19-15-1 this year, and they are just 4-6 over their last 10 games.

When betting the run line on the Astros this season, it’s been a coin flip. They are 54-54 against the run line, including 27-28 at home. The Astros have been a slight favorite in most games, and they are 36-43 against the run line in those contests. Their average run differential is +0.4 runs per game, and they have a +1.0 run differential at home.

The Houston Astros are at home against the Tampa Bay Rays today. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs, which is lower than their combined run average of 8.9 runs per game. The Astros have an over/under record of 44-60 this season, and their games have averaged a line of 9 runs. When the line is set at 8 runs, their over/under record is 7-10-2. So far this season, 63.0% of their games have had higher lines than 8 runs.

Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Rays at home. Kikuchi has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA. For the year, he has a WHIP of 1.34. In his last outing, Kikuchi finished with a no-decision, giving up five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. He has not picked up a win since June 23. Kikuchi’s ERA at home is 5.22 compared to 6.18 on the road.

Yordan Alvarez has been the Astros’ top power threat this season, as his 20 home runs are 1st on the team and 11th in the MLB. He is also hitting .296, which is 4th best on the team. Catcher Yainer Diaz has been the team’s most consistent hitter, as he is batting .297 for the season and has gone 13/25 in his last six games, including two homers.

Over his last six games, Alex Bregman has gone just 4/25 for the Astros. This includes two homers, but he has driven in just two runs over that stretch. Kyle Tucker and Yainer Diaz are both on long hitting streaks, with Tucker’s at three games and Diaz’s at seven.

Our prediction for the Astros vs. Rays matchup is that the Astros will pick up a 5-4 win. However, with the Astros being -161 on the money line, we actually like the over, with the line currently sitting at 8 runs.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Yusei Kikuchi finishing with seven strikeouts compared to Shane Baz with five. Kikuchi is also predicted to go deeper into the game than Baz, and he is second in terms of starters to pick up a win.

As for the lineups, we have the Astros finishing with nine hits compared to the Rays with eight. The Rays are projected to finish with the seventh most strikeouts today, with the Astros coming in at 15th.

Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Tips

• Take the Astros on the moneyline
• On the run line we like the Rays (+1.5)
• Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over

Houston Astros Injury Report

Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report