Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Pick & Prediction 8/13/24

The Astros are the favorite heading into Tuesday’s matchup vs. the Rays, with their money line odds sitting at -136 compared to the Rays at +115. This one is set to get started at 6:50 PM ET from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Yusei Kikuchi will start for the Astros, while the Rays are sending Shane Baz to the mound.

Currently, the Astros are 63-55 and have won six straight, putting them 1st in the AL West. The Rays are 4th in the AL East with a record of 59-59.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Houston Astros Moneyline -136

This game will be played at Tropicana Field at 6:50 ET on Tuesday, August 13th.

HOW TO BET THE ASTROS VS RAYS:

• 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

Houston cruised to an easy 6-1 win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a huge 3rd inning, scoring four of their six runs. As for the Rays, they scored their only run in the 5th. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -129 on the money line.

Framber Valdez only went 5 2/3 innings for the Astros but gave up just one run and picked up the win. He finished the game with nine strikeouts but issued a costly home run. On the other side, Taj Bradley got the start for the Rays and took the loss, giving up six runs in 4 1/3 innings of work.

Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve each had two hits and an RBI for the Astros’ offense. Jeremy Pena also had a two-hit game and scored a run. As for the Rays, Taylor Walls went 2/3 with an RBI.

Astros Records & Stats

The Astros are on a six-game winning streak, and they lead the AL West by a half-game over the Mariners. So far, they are 21-18 in divisional matchups. Houston’s overall record is 63-55, and they took the first game of this series vs. the Rays.

At home, the Astros have gone 32-26 this season and are an even 31-29 on the road. As the road favorite, the Astros are 18-18 this year and 47-39 overall as the favorite. Houston’s overall series record is 21-16-1, and they have won two straight series.

When the Astros are on the road, they have a run line record of 34-26, and they have covered the run line in eight straight road games. They have an average run margin of 0.2 runs per game on the road this season.

Today’s over/under line of 8 runs is lower than the Astros’ average over/under line of 9 runs. Houston’s games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 47-67. When the line has been set at 8 runs, the Astros’ over/under record is 7-11-2. So far this season, 63.6% 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 on the road. He has made 24 starts this season and has a record of 5-9 with an ERA of 4.62. Kikuchi’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.33. In his last outing, he picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on four hits. Before that, he had back-to-back outings in which he finished with a no-decision. Kikuchi has allowed at least two earned runs in each of his last four outings. The left-hander has a BB/9 figure of 2.56 compared to 10.59 strikeouts per nine innings.

Heading into today’s game, the Astros are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 12th in the league. Overall, they are batting .262 as a team, which is the 2nd best mark in the MLB. Houston has been hitting the ball well at home, putting up 4.8 runs per game. The Astros have been a very patient team at the plate, as they are 3rd in the league in fewest strikeouts, but they are just 24th in walks.

Yordan Alvarez and Yainer Diaz have been the Astros’ top power threats this season, with Alvarez leading the team with 25 homers and Diaz not far behind with 12. Alvarez is also 2nd on the team with a batting average of .308, while Diaz comes in at .299. Kyle Tucker has also been a big power threat, as his 19 homers is the 2nd best mark on the team. Alex Bregman is on a 7-game hitting streak and has gone 10/22 with three homers over his last five games.

Rays Records & Stats

The Rays are at an even 59-59 overall but trail the Orioles by 10.5 games in the AL East. So far, they have gone just 17-23 in AL East matchups. Tampa Bay will be hosting the Astros today, and they are 31-32 at home this year.

Tampa Bay has dropped three straight games as the underdog and are 4-6 in their last 10 games overall. As the underdog overall, the Rays are 28-32 compared to 31-27 as the favorite. The team’s overall series record is 20-14-4, and they have lost two straight series.

When the Rays are the underdog, they have been a good bet on the run line, going 36-24. They have also been a good bet on the run line on the road, going 34-21. Their average run margin in winning games is +2.8, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.7.

The Tampa Bay Rays have an over/under record of 54-59 this season, and their games have averaged a combined 8.3 runs per game. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, their record is 13-18-1. Overall, 43 of their games have had over/under lines set above 8 runs, accounting for 36.4% of their contests. Their under streak is currently at 2 games.

Through six starts, Shane Baz has yet to pick up a win, as he is 0-1 with an ERA of 4.29. Baz has made two quality starts and is coming off an outing in which he didn’t give up a run. Against the Astros on August 2nd, he went 5 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs, six hits, one walk, and one homer. Baz’s WHIP for the season is 1.47, and his last outing came on August 8th, where he gave up two homers and four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. So far, he has a BB/9 figure of 3.68 compared to 7.98 strikeouts per nine innings.

Heading into today’s game, the Rays are 28th in the MLB in runs per game at just 3.9. This has been even worse at home, where they are averaging just 3.6 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .233 and are 23rd in the league in home runs. The team’s current leader in home runs is Christopher Morel, but he is hitting just .192 this season.

Yandy Diaz comes into the game with a team-high batting average of .270 and is 2nd on the team with 51 RBIs. Brandon Lowe and Jose Siri are tied for 2nd on the team with 14 homers. Lowe has struggled of late, going just 3/21 in his last five games.