Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Betting Pick & Prediction 8/4/24

At 2:10 PM ET, the Rays and Astros face off in an AL matchup. This one is being played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and has the Astros as the heavy favorite on the money line (-164). The money line odds for the Rays are sitting at +138, and they are 4th in the AL East, while the Astros are 2nd in the AL West.

Today’s over/under line is at 8.5 runs, and the Rays will be sending Hunter Bigge to the mound vs. Spencer Arrighetti for the Astros.

TAMPA BAY RAYS VS HOUSTON ASTROS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline +138

This game will be played at Minute Maid Park at 2:10 ET on Sunday, August 4th.

HOW TO BET THE RAYS VS ASTROS:

• We have the Rays winning by a score of 6 to 4
• If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Rays to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 10 runs and like the over

Tampa Bay cruised to a 6-1 win over the Astros in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had a huge 5th inning, scoring two of their six runs and picking up three of their 13 hits. As for the Astros, they scored their only run in the 5th and finished the game with just five hits.

Zack Littell only went 5 2/3 innings for the Rays but gave up just one hit and one earned run. He finished the game with three strikeouts but issued one walk. On the other side, Ronel Blanco got the start for the Astros and gave up two earned runs in five innings of work.

At the plate, Josh Lowe was the star for the Rays, going 4/5 with two homers and three RBIs. Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe each had two hits and two RBIs. Jon Singleton hit the only home run for the Astros, going 1/3.

Rays Records & Stats

Tampa Bay is 56-54 overall this season, and they are nine games behind the Orioles for the AL East lead. So far, they have gone just 16-21 in AL East games. The Rays are on the road today, taking on the Astros and are 26-25 on the road this year.

At home, the Rays have gone 30-29 this season. Tampa Bay is 19-12-4 in series this year, and they are 6-4 over their last 10 games overall. As the favorite, the Rays are 30-27 and 26-27 as the underdog.

When the Rays are on the road, they have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 31-20 overall. They have covered the run line in three straight road games and in six straight games overall when they are the underdog. The Rays have a negative run differential both at home and on the road, but they have been able to keep games close and cover the run line more often than not.

The Rays are on the road against the Astros today, with the over/under line set at 8.5 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.4 runs, and their over/under record is 52-53. The average over/under line for Rays games is 8 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 15-15. Only 10% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, and their current under streak is at 2 games.

Tampa Bay is sending Hunter Bigge to the mound today vs. the Astros, and he will be coming out of the bullpen. Bigge has made six appearances this year and has a record of 0-0 with an ERA of 1.69. So far, he has made four appearances on the road, where he has an ERA of 6.75. At home, his ERA is 0.0. Bigge’s WHIP for the season is 1.12, and opponents are batting .190 vs. Bigge this year. In his last outing, he went 1 inning and gave up 0 earned runs, finishing with a no-decision. He has finished with a no-decision in each of his last four outings.

Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Rays, going 9/29 in his last seven games, including two home runs. Overall, he is batting .276 and is 2nd on the team with 50 RBIs. Christopher Morel has struggled this season, hitting just .197, but he does lead the team with 20 homers and 53 RBIs. Morel has gone just 2/13 in his last four games.

As a team, 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 contest. Tampa Bay’s team batting average is just .235, and they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of slugging and isolated power.

Astros Records & Stats

The Astros are 57-53 overall this season, putting them just one game behind the Mariners for the AL West lead. So far, they have gone 19-17 in divisional matchups. Houston will be taking on the Rays today, and they are 32-25 at home this season.

As the favorite, the Astros have gone 43-38 this season and 29-20 as the favorite at home. They are 14-15 as the underdog this season. The Astros are 5-5 in their last 10 games overall and are currently tied 1-1 in their series vs. the Rays.

When the Astros win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.8 runs per game. That’s a big reason why they are 54-56 against the run line this season. They are 27-30 at home against the run line and 27-26 on the road. They are 36-45 against the run line as the favorite and 18-11 as the underdog.

When the Astros are at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. Their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 44-62 overall. When the line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 14-20. So far this season, 30.9% of their games have had an over/under line set at 8.5 runs, and in those games, the under has hit in two straight.

Houston is sending Spencer Arrighetti to the mound today vs. the Rays, and he comes into the game with a record of 4-9 and an ERA of 5.58. Arrighetti has made 19 starts this year and has a WHIP of 1.54. Looking back at his last outing, Arrighetti took the loss vs. the Dodgers, giving up three earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight starts. Arrighetti has made four quality starts this year and is averaging 10.17 strikeouts per nine innings.

Yordan Alvarez has been a big power threat for the Astros this season, as his 20 home runs are the most on the team and 13th most in the league. He is also batting .298, which is 4th best on the team. Catcher Yainer Diaz has also been a big run producer for the Astros, as his 59 RBIs are the best on the team. Diaz is also batting .297 for the season.

Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker have also been key contributors for the Astros this season. Altuve is batting .304 and has gone deep 14 times, while Tucker is batting .266 with 19 homers. Tucker is also on a three-game hitting streak.