The Houston Astros (102-54), one of the best lineups in the American League, are set to host the Tampa Bay Rays (85-71) at Minute Maid Park on Friday to open a three-game series. The Rays are in the midst of a nine-game road trip. They won only one out of three in their last series against the Guardians, dropping the finale 2-1 on Thursday at Progressive Field. Wander Franco was 2 for 3 with a double and one run. David Peralta added one RBI on two hits. The Astros are in the midst of an eight-game homestand. They split their last series against the Diamondbacks, dropping the finale 5-2 on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. Chas McCormick went 3 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Astros have won all three games this season between the teams, including a 5-2 victory in their most recent meeting on September 21 at Tropicana Field. Starter Lance McCullers Jr. went seven innings to get the win, giving up two runs on six hits and striking out eight, and Ryan Pressly picked up his 30th save with a scoreless ninth.
ON THE MOUND
Drew Rasmussen (10-7, 2.85 ERA) is in line to start for Tampa Bay. The right-hander allowed one run over 6.1 innings in his last start, a 3-1 road defeat against the Blue Jays on Saturday. He took the loss, giving up three hits while striking out five and walking two. Rasmussen has made one previous start against the Astros this season, a 4-0 home loss on September 19. He surrendered four runs on six hits over six innings, striking out three and walking one. Left-hander Framber Valdez (16-5, 2.69 ERA) gets the start for Houston. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Rays. In his last start on Saturday, Valdez took a no-decision on the road against the Orioles. He threw 5.1 innings and gave up seven runs (4 ER) on 11 hits, striking out six and walking one in the 11-10 win. The LHP is tied for second in the AL in wins and fifth in ERA.
AT THE PLATE
The Tampa Bay offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .241/.310/.380. Yandy Diaz leads the team in OPS at .818. The third baseman is slashing .292/.399/.419 with nine home runs, 54 RBIs, and 69 runs over 134 games. Over the last five games, however, Tampa Bay has averaged only 2.0 runs a game while performing worse across the board (.181/.227/.257). Against southpaws like Valdez this season, the Rays have a .708 OPS. Randy Arozarena is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a .922 OPS in 115 at-bats. Houston is slashing .247/.320/.423 for the season and averaging 4.6 runs per game, third best in the American League. Four Astros hitters have an OPS of .800 or better, led by Yordan Alvarez (1.021). The left fielder has 37 home runs, 96 RBIs, and 92 runs scored with a slash line of .303/.407/.614. Houston is averaging 5.8 runs per game in the last five with an improved slash line (.264/.340/.437). The ‘Stros have a .729 OPS against righties in 2022. With a .888 OPS over 347 at-bats, Alex Bregman has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Tampa Bay is 34-41 on the road in 2022, scoring 4.2 runs per game while allowing 4.1 runs. Houston has gone 51-24 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game while surrendering 3.2. Houston is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings at Minute Maid Park with an average scoreline of 5.8-3.3.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Rays are third in the AL East, 11 games behind the division-leading Yankees. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting third with a magic number of zero. The Astros lead the AL West by 16 games over the Mariners.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Tampa Bay Rays
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
