The Houston Astros (64-55) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (59-60) on Wednesday, August 14th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on None. The Astros are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Astros. First pitch is set for 5:50 CT.
Astros vs. Rays Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Astros (-121)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Astros have won 7 of their last 10 games.
- In their last 15 games, the Astros have scored an average of 5.2 runs per game.
- The Astros have won their last 6 road games.
- In the last 3 games against the Rays, the Astros have outscored them 12-9.
- The Astros have a current winning streak of 7 games.
Astros vs Rays
Houston picked up a 3-2 road win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a two-run lead heading into the 8th inning, and the Rays could only muster one run in the 8th. As for the starting pitching matchup, Yusei Kikuchi went 5 2/3 innings for the Astros, giving up just one run and striking out five. He picked up a win in the game. Shane Baz put together a good outing for the Rays, going seven innings and giving up three runs.
Alex Bregman and Jeremy Pena each homered for the Astros, while Yainer Diaz scored twice and drove in a run while going 2/4. Tampa Bay’s two homers came from Austin Meadows and Ji-Man Choi.
Josh Hader closed things out for the Astros, while Shane Baz got the save for the Rays. Baz did give up two homers in the game.
Currently, the Astros are on a seven-game winning streak and hold a 1.5-game lead over the Mariners in the AL West. Their overall record is 64-55, and they have gone 7-3 in their last ten games. As the favorite, they are 48-39, and straight-up on the road, they are 32-29.
When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Astros’ O/U record is 7-11-2. Their games this season have averaged 8.7 runs, and their overall O/U record is 47-68. Heading into today’s game, the under has hit in their last two games, and 63.0% of their games have had higher total lines than today’s 8 runs.
Ronel Blanco Gets The Start For The Astros
Right-hander Ronel Blanco gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Rays on the road. Blanco has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 9-6 with a 3.02 ERA. So far, he has pitched one shutout and has 11 quality starts. Blanco’s WHIP for the season is 1.05, and opponents are batting .181 off him this season. In his last outing, Blanco finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in four innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight starts.
Astros Offense Breakdown
Coming into the game, the Astros are one of the league’s best offenses, as they are 2nd in team batting average and 6th in on-base percentage. Houston is also among the league leaders in home runs and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. One thing to keep an eye on is that they are 25th in the league in walks, so they are a team that is aggressive at the plate.
Yordan Alvarez has been red hot for the Astros, not only leading the team with 25 home runs, but he has also gone 11/26 with five homers over his last seven games. Alex Bregman has also been swinging a hot bat, going 15/32 with four homers in this stretch. Bregman comes into the game on an eight-game hitting streak.
As underdogs, the Rays have a 28-33 record this season, and they are currently 3.5 games behind the Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot in the AL. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 20-14-4, but they have lost two straight series and are down 0-2 in their current series vs. the Astros.
Against the run line, the Rays have been much better on the road with a 34-21 record, compared to 25-39 at home. Overall, they are 59-60 vs. the run line. The over/under line for today’s game is 8 runs, and the under has hit in their last three games. This season, their over/under record is 54-60, and when the total is set at 8 runs, their O/U record is 13-18-1.
Zack Littell Gets The Start For The Rays
Zack Littell gets the start for the Rays today and will be looking to bounce back from his last outing, where he took the loss. Against the Orioles on August 9th, he gave up three earned runs in five innings of work. Looking back further, Littell had put together two straight scoreless outings before that. His record for the season is 5-8, and he has an ERA of 4.12. Opposing batters are hitting .283 off Littell this season. The right-hander has a WHIP of 1.35 and has issued just 1.73 walks per nine innings.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Rays are near the bottom of the league in both runs scored and home runs. As a team, they are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, and their team batting average of .232 is also one of the worst in the league. The team’s collective on-base percentage of .309 is 12th in the league, and they are averaging just 9 strikeouts per game.
Yandy Diaz has been the Rays’ most consistent hitter this season, batting .270 with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs. He has also been a tough out this season, coming in with an OBP of .327. Brandon Lowe and Jose Siri are tied for 2nd on the team with 14 homers apiece, but Lowe is batting just .253 for the season. Over his last nine games, Lowe is 9/38 with two homers and nine RBIs.
Astros vs Rays Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Astros vs. Rays game is that the Astros will pick up the win by a score of 5-4. With the money line payout for the Astros at -121, this is the route we recommend going.
Looking at today’s starters, we have Ronel Blanco finishing with six strikeouts, which is good for seventh among starters. As for Zack Littell, he is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is fourth worst among starters.
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.
Last updated:August 14, 2024 Astros, Rays