Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays MLB Betting Prediction

MLB Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction 8/12/2024

The Houston Astros (62-55) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (59-58) on Monday, August 12th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on BSSUN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. First pitch is set for 5:50 CT.

Astros vs. Rays Betting Prediction

  • Money Line Prediction: Astros (-122)
  • Over/Under Prediction: Over 7.5 Runs
  • Astros have won 5 of their last 6 road games.
  • Astros have scored an average of 6.0 runs per game in their last 6 road games.
  • Astros have a 7-3 record in their last 10 games overall.
  • Astros have a winning streak of 5 games.
  • Astros have outscored their opponents 36-21 in their last 6 road games.

Astros vs Rays

houston astros nba

The Astros Are Coming Off A Win

Houston closed out their series vs. the Red Sox with an impressive 10-2 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -145 on the money line. It was a five-run 3rd inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Red Sox could only score two runs, both of which came in the 4th.

Hunter Brown put together a good start for the Astros, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up just two earned runs, and picking up the win. He also issued only two walks and struck out nine Red Sox batters. Offensively, the Astros scored their 10 runs on 13 hits and only three home runs.

Heading into today’s game, the Astros have won five straight games and are tied with the Mariners for the AL West lead. They lead the A’s by 1.5 games and have an overall record of 62-55.

On the run line, the Astros have a 33-26 record on the road and are currently on a seven-game run line win streak. Their overall run line record is 60-57, and their games this season have averaged 8.8 runs per game.

Framber Valdez Gets The Start For The Astros

Framber Valdez will be looking to build off his last outing, where he nearly went the distance. Against the Rangers on August 6th, he pitched 8 2/3 innings, giving up just two earned runs. He finished with a no-hitter in that outing. Valdez has won his last three starts and hasn’t lost since June 26th. This year, he has a record of 11-5 and an ERA of 3.46. Opposing batters are hitting .235 off the left-hander this season. Valdez has one complete game and 12 quality starts this year.

Astros Offense Breakdown

Yordan Alvarez has been on a tear for the Astros, going 13/28 (.464) over his last eight games, with five homers and eight RBIs. For the season, he is batting .307 with 25 home runs, which is the best mark on the team and 8th in the league. Kyle Tucker is 2nd on the team with 19 homers and is batting .266. Both Tucker and Alvarez come into the game on solid hitting streaks, with Tucker having a three-game streak and Alvarez at five games.

As a team, the Astros are 2nd in the league in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They are also among the league leaders in slugging percentage and have the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league. Houston’s offense has been good at home and on the road this season, averaging 4.8 runs per game at home and 4.5 on the road.

The Rays Are Coming Off A Win

The Rays’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Orioles, closing out their series with a 2-1 win. After allowing one run to the Orioles in the top of the 4th, the Rays responded with a run of their own to tie things up. Tampa Bay went on to add another run in the 7th inning, which was enough to pick up the win. Heading into the game, the Rays were the slight favorite at -118 on the money line.

Jeffrey Springs put together a good start for the Rays, going five innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Tampa Bay’s bullpen closed things out, and Pete Fairbanks picked up the save. The Rays also got a big performance from Manuel Rodriguez, who went three innings out of the bullpen, and didn’t give up a run.

For the season, the Rays have an over/under record of 54-58, with an average of 8.3 runs per game. Their run line record is 58-59, and they have a -0.4 run margin per game. In the AL East, they are 4th, 2.5 games behind the Red Sox for the final Wild Card spot.

As underdogs, the Rays are 28-31 this season and 9-13 at home. They have lost two straight games as underdogs and are 31-31 at home and 28-27 on the road. The over/under line for today’s game is 7.5 runs, and 64.1% of their games have had higher total lines than that.

Taj Bradley Gets The Start For The Rays

Taj Bradley gets the start for the Rays today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Cardinals. In that start, he went 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs (all earned) on nine hits. Bradley also issued three walks and gave up three home runs in the outing. Before that start, he had put together two straight scoreless outings. Bradley’s ERA for the season is 3.07, along with a record of 6-6. Out of his 16 starts, he has seven quality starts and is averaging 10.48 strikeouts per nine innings.

Rays Offense Breakdown

tampa bay rays

So far this season, the Rays are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 28th in the majors. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.6 runs per contest. As a team, the Rays are batting just .234, and their team on-base percentage is just 11th in the league. However, they do have a few players who have been swinging the bat well of late, as Brandon Lowe has gone 9/34 in his last eight games, and Josh Lowe has gone 8/23 in his last eight games.

Christopher Morel is the Rays’ leader in RBIs this season, but he is batting just .193. Yandy Diaz has a team-high batting average of .271 and is 2nd on the team with 51 RBIs. Morel and Brandon Lowe are tied for the team lead in homers with 20 apiece.

Astros vs Rays Prediction

Our prediction for today’s Astros vs. Rays matchup is that the Astros will pick up a 5-4 road win. Given that they are predicted to win and that you can get them at -122 on the money line, that is the way we recommend playing this one.

Looking at the starting pitchers, Framber Valdez is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the highest among all starters today. As for the Rays’ starter, Taj Bradley, he is actually projected to finish with fewer strikeouts than Valdez, and we have him finishing with just five K’s.


All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!


* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.