Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Betting Pick & Prediction 8/2/24

At 8:10 PM ET, the Astros and Rays will face off in an AL matchup. This one is being played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and has the Astros as the 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 forecast in Houston calls for thunderstorms, with the temperature being in the mid-80s. Shane Baz is starting for the Rays, and he is facing off against Yusei Kikuchi for the Astros.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Houston Astros Moneyline -161

This game will be played at Minute Maid Park at 8:10 ET on Friday, August 2nd.

HOW TO BET THE RAYS VS ASTROS:

• We have the Astros winning by a score of 5 to 4
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Rays to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

Rays Records & Stats

The Rays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Marlins with a 6-2 loss. This was especially tough, as it was the Marlins scoring all six runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings. Tampa Bay was the heavy favorite at -267 going into the game.

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 also issued three walks in thejson. Offensively, the Rays scored their only two runs in the 1st inning and then didn’t score again the rest of the game. Christopher Morel hit a homer for the Rays but went just 1/4.

Tampa Bay heads into today’s road matchup vs. the Astros with a record of 55-53, which has them 4th in the AL East. Currently, they are nine games behind the Orioles for the AL East lead and trail the Red Sox by 2.5 games for the final Wild Card spot. The Rays went 1-1 in their most recent series vs. the Marlins.

At home, the Rays have gone 30-29 this season and are just above .500 at 25-24 on the road. As the favorite, Tampa Bay is 30-27 this year and 25-26 as the underdog. So far, they have gone 16-15 as the underdog on the road. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 19-12-4 this year.

When the Tampa Bay Rays win, they win by an average of 2.8 runs per game. When they lose, they lose by an average of 3.8 runs per game. They have a run line record of 53-55, and they have been a good bet on the run line when they are the underdog, going 31-20. They have covered the run line in four straight games as the underdog. Their overall run line record is 29-20 on the road, and their average run differential on the road is -0.4 runs per game.

On the road against the Astros, the Rays have an over/under line of 8 runs. This season, the Rays’ games have averaged 8.4 runs per game, and their over/under record is 52-51. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, the Rays have a record of 13-15-1. So far this season, 38% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, while 35.2% have had lines set lower than 8 runs. The over has hit in their last two games.

Shane Baz will be making his 3rd start of the season for the Rays, and he is coming off a no-decision in his last outing, which was at home vs. the Reds. In that game, he went 6 innings, giving up 2 earned runs and striking out 7. He started the season with a no-decision on the road vs. the Yankees, where he went 3 1/3 innings and struck out 4.

Heading into today’s game, the Rays are averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 27th in the league. They have been a bit better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .234 and have the 23rd ranked home run total in the league. One of the few bright spots for the Rays offense is that they are 8th in walks and have the 12th best on-base percentage in the league.

Christopher Morel has been a big power threat for the Rays this season, as he leads the team with 20 homers, but he is batting just .200. Yandy Diaz has been a more consistent hitter for the Rays, batting .271 with 9 homers. Morel went 2/8 in his last two games, but both hits were home runs. Over his last seven games, Brandon Lowe is hitting .435 with one homer and five RBIs.

Astros Records & Stats

Mauricio Dubon had only one at-bat in the Astros’ 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 going into the 2nd inning. Houston’s offense scored their other four runs in the 2nd to take the lead. The Astros were the heavy favorite at -233 at home.

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 hit a batter. Houston’s bullpen was excellent, as they didn’t give up a run in their four innings of work. Josh Hader picked up the save.

Houston is currently 56-52 overall, and they are tied with the Mariners for the AL West lead. The Astros are also just 19-17 in divisional games this year. Houston opens their series vs. the Rays at home today.

As the favorite, the Astros have gone 42-37 this year and 28-19 as the favorite at home. On the road, Houston is 25-28 this year. The Astros lost two of three games in their series vs. the Pirates.

When the Astros win, they win big, with an average run margin of +3.9 runs. When they lose, they lose by an average of -3.3 runs. Their overall run line record is .500, but they have been a better bet at home, where they are 27-28 vs. the run line. They are also a better bet as the underdog, going 18-11 vs. the run line. Their overall run differential is +0.4 runs per game.

Today’s game between the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays has an over/under line of 8 runs. The combined run average for Astros games this season is 8.9 runs, and their over/under record is 44-60. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, the Astros have gone 7-10-2. Overall, 63.0% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs.

Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Rays at home. He has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 4-9 with an ERA of 4.75. Kikuchi’s WHIP for the season is 1.34. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without taking the loss. Kikuchi has allowed at least two homers in three of his last four starts.

Yordan Alvarez has been a big bat for the Astros this season, as his 20 homers are 11th in the league and the best mark on the team. He is also 2nd on the team with 55 RBIs. Alvarez’s batting average of .296 is 4th on the team, and he is coming off a stretch in which he went 13/25 with two homers. Catcher Yainer Diaz has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 13/25 in his last six games with two homers. Diaz is batting .297 for the season and is the team leader in RBIs.

As a team, the Astros are 2nd in the league in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5 runs per contest. Overall, they are 11th in home runs and have the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league. Houston’s lineup has been patient at the plate, but their team walk numbers are towards the bottom of the league.