Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros Betting Analysis & Pick

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros
Date: Saturday, July 29th, 7:15 ET
Location: Minute Maid Park
TV: FOX
Money Line: Rays +112/Astros -134 (Betting odds are ALWAYS cheaper at BAS!)
Total Line: 8.5

Betting Preview

Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the Houston Astros and the Rays on Saturday, July 29th at Minute Maid Park. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.

Betting Odds

Rays vs. Astros Projected Lineup

Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record

Tampa Bay Rays: 63-43 SU / OU 54-48 / Runline 53-53
Houston Astros: 58-46 SU / OU 50-52 / Runline 53-51

Heading into today’s action, the Rays’ record of 63-43 has them sitting 2nd in the AL East. Currently, they are 1.5 games out of the division lead. Over their last five games, they are 2-3 and have a road and home record of 26-24 and 37-19, respectively. Tampa Bay’s overall series record sits at 17-11-5.

• The Rays have two straight losses vs. the runline and have a season-long run margin of 1.3.
• The Rays have been favored in 84.0% of their games and have runline records of 29-27 and 24-26 at home and on the road, respectively
• The over has hit in 53% of the Rays’ 106 games at 54-48.

Heading into their game vs. the Rays, the Astros have a record of 58-46 and have dropped two straight games. In the AL West, they are in 2nd place and have an overall series record of 18-13-2. At home, they have gone 27-24 and 31-22 on the road.

• The Astros have covered the runline in 51.0% of their games and have an average run margin of 0.5
• The Astros have been favored in 68.3% of their games and have runline records of 22-29 and 31-22 at home and on the road, respectively
• So far, the Astros have an over/under record of just 50-52.

Pitching Matchup

Tampa Bay starter Taj Bradley enters with an overall record of 5-6 and ERA of 5.30. His ERA on the road is 5.53 and 6.25 when pitching at home. Bradley’s season-long WHIP comes in at 1.37 with a batting average allowed of .268. Opposing teams have put together a slugging percentage of .475 against him.

In Taj Bradley’s last game, he threw five innings for the Rays. While allowing three runs on five hits, he took a no-decision. The team lost the game to the Orioles with a score of 5-3.

Across his 19 outings, Hunter Brown has a record of 6-7 and ERA of 4.19. One thing to note, is that he has given up a home run in each of his last two appearances. As he takes the mound, his WHIP sits at 1.32 with an OBP allowed of .320. Brown’s strikeout to walk ratio is 122/35.

The Astros won the last time Hunter Brown toed the rubber, taking down the Athletics by a score of 3-2. Even though Brown picked up a quality start, tossing six innings while giving up two earned runs, he did not finish with the W and took a no-decision.

Rays vs. Astros Offense Outlook

The Rays have proven to be one of the best home run hitting teams this season, having hit 151 home runs (4th). In terms of overall run production, Tampa Bay is averaging 5.2 runs per game on collective batting average of .255. At home, their slugging percentagee is .440 compared to .431 on the road.

Tampa Bay Rays Top Hitters vs. Righties

Tampa Bay Rays Top Hitters: Last Five Games

Offensively, the Astros, come into the game ranked 11th in the league with an average of 4.7 runs per game. In the home run category, Houston is ranked 10th, with 130 deep shots. When it comes to batting average, they have collectively hit .248. This mark includes hitting .248 on the road and .236 at home.

Houston Astros Top Hitters vs. Righties

Houston Astros Top Hitters: Last Five Games

Free MLB Pick

The Astros Hunter looked better in his latest, albeit againt the A’s, and he has solid back numbers against the Rays. Brown has held the Tampa Bay roster to a .143 batting average and a .179 slugging percentage over 28 at-bats. The Rays send out Taj Bradley who has a 4.78 road ERA and 6.21 ERA in night games. Tampa Bay has just three wins in their last 10 games and haven’t played well overall since their impressive start to the season. Take Houston -140. This would be a good game to live bet! Have you seen the killer live wagering platform at Bovada Sportsbook? It blows away the rest! Check it out!