Tampa Bay Rays (59-58) vs Houston Astros (62-55)
Game Info: Tuesday, August 13, 2024 at 6:50 pm (Tropicana Field)
The Line: Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Rays +117 / Houston Astros -137 — Over/Under: 8
The Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays meet Tuesday in MLB action from Tropicana Field. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction.
Starting Pitching Matchup
The Houston Astros will send out Yusei Kikuchi for the start here and Kikuchi is 5-9 with a 4.62 ERA and 149 strikeouts this season. In his last five starts against the Rays, Kikuchi is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA and 31 strikeouts. Shane Baz will start for the Rays here and is 0-1 with a 4.30 ERA and 26 strikeouts this season. This will be Baz’s second career start against the Astros.
Houston Astros Recap
The Houston Astros come into this one looking to build on their 6-1 win over the Rays in Monday’s series opener. The win pushed Houston’s win streak to six and gave them a chance to build on series wins over Boston and Texas in the last week.
Astros Trying To Pull Away In AL West
Going into Monday’s opener, Jose Altuve has 142 hits and a .303 batting average with 15 home runs, 50 RBIs and 21 doubles while Yordan Alvarez also has 25 homers with 63 RBIs and 27 doubles. Altuve has the Astros’ team lead with 15 stolen bases so far this season. Jeremy Pena also has 121 hits and a .273 batting average as well as 13 stolen bases of his own this season. Alex Bregman’s added 17 homers and 57 RBIs also.
Why the Houston Astros will win
- The Astros have won each of their last six games.
- The Rays have lost five of their last six night games against American League opponents that held a winning record.
- The road team has covered the run line in each of the Astros’ last 15 games.
- The Rays have failed to cover the run line in 11 of their last 12 home games against AL West opponents.
Tampa Bay Rays Recap
The Tampa Bay Rays will try to bounce back after falling short in Monday’s opener. The loss put the Rays at risk of another series loss after falling short against the Orioles and Cardinals in the last week.
Rays Trying To Stay Alive In AL Playoff Race
Entering Monday, Yandy Diaz has 118 hits with 23 doubles while Jose Caballero has a team-high 32 stolen bases. Richie Palacios also has 19 stolen bases while Jose Siri has 14 home runs, 38 RBIs and a team-high 128 strikeouts. Brandon Lowe also has chipped in 14 home runs, 43 RBIs and a pair of triples as well this season.
Why the Tampa Bay Rays will win
- The Rays have won nine of their last 10 games at Tropicana Field following a loss.
- The Astros have lost four of their last five Tuesday games as road favorites.
- The Rays have covered the run line in each of their last nine Tuesday games.
- The Astros have failed to cover the run line in 11 of their last 12 Tuesday games as road favorites.
Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction
I’m on the Astros. I just can’t trust Shane Baz in this matchup and while Yusei Kikuchi’s had some hiccups this season, he’s looked decent in an Astros uniform and held the Rays in check when he faced them a few days ago in his Astro debut. Tampa Bay has been known to do more with less, but we’re really seeing the pain of all the pieces traded away at the deadline and how it’s coming back to haunt the Rays. Give me Houston.