Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Betting Pick & Prediction 8/3/24

At 7:15 PM ET, the Astros and Rays will square off in an AL matchup. This one is taking place at Minute Maid Park in Houston and the Astros are the heavy favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -155. The money line odds for a Rays win are at +131. FOX will be televising this one.

The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and the Astros will be looking to extend their two-game winning streak. The Rays are 4th in the AL East, while the Astros are 1st in the AL West. Zack Littell is starting for the Rays, and he is facing off against Ronel Blanco.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Houston Astros Moneyline -155

This game will be played at Minute Maid Park at 7:15 ET on Saturday, August 3rd.

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

It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Astros vs Rays series. Houston went into the matchup as -160 favorites and squeaked out a 3-2 win. The Astros had a chance to add some insurance runs in the 8th but went into the 9th with just a one-run lead. As for the Rays, they scored their only two runs in the 4th.

Yusei Kikuchi got the start for the Astros, going just 5 2/3 innings while giving up two runs and striking out 11. He did not factor in the decision, as Bryan Abreu got the win out of the bullpen. Josh Hader got the save. Shane Baz got the start for the Rays, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on six hits.

Houston’s offense was led by Yainer Diaz, Jeremy Pena, and Jon Singleton, as they were the only three Astros hitters to have more than one hit. Diaz. As for the Rays, Dylan Carlson went 1/3 with a home run, while Yandy Diaz had two hits.

Rays Records & Stats

The Rays are four games below .500 at 55-54 as they are on the road for today’s game vs. the Astros. Tampa Bay has dropped two straight games, and they are 9.0 games behind the Orioles in the AL East. So far, they are just 16-21 in divisional games.

At home, the Rays are 30-29 this year and an even 25-25 on the road. As the favorite, Tampa Bay is 30-27, and they are 25-27 as the underdog this season. So far, their overall series record is 19-12-4.

When the Tampa Bay Rays are on the road, they have a run line record of 30-20. They have covered the run line in two straight games and are 5-0 against the run line as an underdog in their last five games. Overall, the Rays’ run line record is 54-55.

The Tampa Bay Rays are on the road today against the Houston Astros, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Rays’ games have averaged 8.4 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 52-52. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 13-15-1. In 41 of their games this season, the over/under line has been set higher than 8 runs, which accounts for 37.6% of their games.

Zack Littell will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run and picked up the win. In that start vs. the Reds, he went seven innings and didn’t give up a walk. Looking at his overall numbers, Littell has made 21 starts and has a record of 4-7. His ERA for the season is 4.18, along with a WHIP of 1.35. Opponents have hit .283 off Littell this season. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.29 strikeouts compared to just 1.74 walks. For the year, Littell has allowed 17 homers. Out of his 21 starts, he has eight quality starts.

For the season, the Rays are averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 27th in the league. They have been even worse at home, averaging only 3.7 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .234 and are 21st in the league in home runs. However, they do come into the game with the 8th fewest strikeouts in the league.

Yandy Diaz has been a bright spot for the Rays this season, as he is batting .274 and is on a three-game hitting streak. He is also 2nd on the team with 9 homers. Christopher Morel has struggled this season, batting just .199, but he does lead the team with 20 homers. Morel has gone deep twice in the team’s last three games but is just 2/10 in that stretch.

Astros Records & Stats

The Astros are currently 1st in the AL West, sharing the top spot with the Mariners. Houston is 57-52 overall and has won two straight games, and they will be hosting the Rays today. So far, they have gone 19-17 in divisional games. Houston took the first game of the series vs. the Rays.

At home, the Astros are 32-24 this year and 25-28 on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are 43-37 this year and 14-15 as the underdog. Houston’s overall series record is 19-15-1 this year, and they are 5-5 over their last 10 games overall.

When it comes to the run line, the Astros have been a tough team to figure out this season. They are just a game under .500 overall at 54-55, and their run line record is also just a game under .500 at 54-55. They have been a better bet at home, where they are 27-29 against the run line, compared to 27-26 on the road. As the favorite, they are just 36-44 against the run line, while they are 18-11 as the underdog. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.8, while it is -3.3 in losing games.

The Houston Astros are at home today, taking on the Tampa Bay Rays. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs, which is slightly below the combined run average of 8.8 runs per game for these two teams. The Astros have played to the over in 44 of their 105 games this season, and their games have had an average over/under line of 9 runs. When the line has been set at 8 runs, the over has gone 7-10-2 in their games.

Ronel Blanco gets the start for the Astros today as he faces off against the Rays at home. So far this season, Blanco has made 20 starts and has a record of 9-5 with an ERA of 2.95. He has a WHIP of 1.00 and has turned in one complete game shutout this year. Blanco’s most recent outing came against the Dodgers, where he finished with a no-decision, going 4 1/3 innings and giving up four earned runs. Before that, he had lost two straight starts. Blanco has been much better at home, coming in with an ERA of 3.34 compared to 2.94 on the road.

Yainer Diaz has been on a tear for the Astros, hitting .500 over his last five games with two home runs and four RBIs. For the season, he is hitting .300 with 10 homers, which is the best mark on the team. Diaz’s 59 RBIs are also the top mark for the Astros coming into the game. Houston will also look to get continued production from Yordan Alvarez, who is 13th in the league with 20 homers and is batting .296.

As a team, the Astros are batting .261, which is the 2nd best mark in the league, and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 4.9 runs per contest. Overall, Houston is 12th in home runs and have the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league.