The Houston Astros (62-55, 61-56 RL, 47-66-4 O/U) meet with the Tampa Bay Rays (59-58, 58-59 RL, 54-58-5 O/U) in the first of a three-game series on Monday evening. The Astros will give the starting nod to Framber Valdez. The Rays will reply with Taj Bradley. The Rays lead the season series 2-1.
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Houston Battles with Mariners
The Astros will have Framber Valdez on the mound. Valdez was marvelous in his previous outing, conceding two runs in 8.2 innings against the Rangers, and was credited with the win. The veteran ace has conceded two or fewer runs in four of his last five outings and has delivered a 3.46 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP accompanied by an 11-5 record in 125 innings. Valdez gave up six runs in 5.1 innings in his only meeting against the Rays.
Houston is battling with the Mariners atop the division. They are 0.5 games ahead of their rivals. The Astros have been hit or miss recently. They dropped a home series against the Rays last week and rebounded with a series win against Texas. Next, the squad earned a dominating road sweep against the Red Sox on the weekend. They are one game above .500 on the road.
Kyle Tucker remains out of the lineup. Jose Altuve is breaking out of a slump, collecting three RBIs in his last four games. The veteran second baseman is having yet another outstanding season, hitting .303 with 50 RBIs and a solid .798 OPS. Altuve has zero RBIs and a poor .350 OPS against the Rays this season.
Houston is averaging 4.59 runs per game, ranking them 12th. The pitching staff has a 3.96 ERA, placing them 14th.
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Tampa Bay Plummets in Wildcard Standings
The Rays will have Taj Bradley on the rubber on Monday. Bradley was pelted in his previous effort, giving up five runs in 4.2 innings against the Cardinals, and was hit with the loss. The young righty has struggled in two straight outings but has outstanding numbers, sporting a 3.07 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP accompanied by a 6-6 record in 91 innings on the season. Bradley has struggled against Houston, giving up eight runs in 8.1 career innings.
Tampa Bay has dropped two of its last three series. They were dealt two defeats in three road bouts against the Cardinals last week and were hit with a series defeat at the hands of the Orioles on the weekend, plating eight runs while giving up 12 runs. The squad is 5.5 games out of a wildcard spot and stands at .500 at home.
Christopher Morel only has two RBIs since coming over in a trade last month. The 25-year-old third baseman has 20 home runs with 53 RBIs and a .668 OPS on the year. Yandy Diaz has 10 home runs with 51 RBIs on the season. The 33-year-old first baseman posted one RBI and a dazzling 1.5 OPS in the series against the Astros last week.
Tampa Bay is posting an average of 3.95 runs on the year, marking them 28th. The pitching staff has issued a 4.03 ERA, positioning them 16th.
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Best Bets for Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Rating:
The Houston Astros are winning games but the Tampa Bay Rays will be a desperate team considering its postseason chances are dwindling. The Rays just won two of three against the Astros earlier this month and earned a big win against the Orioles on Sunday. The Rays need a series win here.
Furthermore, Framber Valdez isn’t quite as sharp on the road. Rays pitcher Taj Bradley has been outstanding. Bradley won pitcher of the month in July after posting a minuscule 1.45 ERA. He has been especially tough to solve at home, sporting a dazzling 2.04 ERA. The Rays have won in four of his last five home outings.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays -110
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Rating:
I expect runs to be at a premium. Houston will be cooled down at the plate in this one. They only managed four runs at home in the series defeat against the Rays last week. Bradley has conceded either zero or one run in four of his last six outings.
In addition, Tampa Bay rarely posts big numbers at the dish. They have scored an average of only 3.0 runs in their last ten games. Valdez has conceded two or fewer runs in four of his last five outings. The under is a convincing 8-2 in the Rays' previous ten games.
Prediction: Under 7.5
Author Profile
Adam Rauzino , "Adam Rauzino"
Adam has been a sports fanatic his entire life, closely following hockey, baseball, basketball, and football. He enjoys analyzing various stats, as well as studying Sabermetrics and analytics to take his picks to a whole new level. Adam has a passion for writing about various sports as well as personal finance and being an expert sports bettor. Prior to bringing his talents here to Winners and Whiners, Adam graduated with a diploma in business marketing and business finance. You would do yourself a huge favor by following Adam on a daily basis.
