A pair of hot hitters are set to face off when the Houston Astros (13-11) take on the Tampa Bay Rays (20-4) at Tropicana Field on Wednesday, as Mauricio Dubon and his 19-game hitting streak visit Harold Ramirez and his 10-game streak with the three-game series knotted at 1-1.
The Astros evened the series 1-1 after winning 5-0 on Tuesday. Luis Garcia threw six scoreless innings – striking out seven – for the win.Jeremy Pena was 2 for 4 with a double, one run, and one RBI in the win. Yandy Diaz’s on-base streak reached 10 games as he went 1 for 3 for the Rays.
ON THE MOUND
Hunter Brown (2-0, 3.09 ERA) is set to start for Houston. The righty allowed four runs over 4.2 innings in his last start, a 6-4 home win over the Braves on Friday. He scattered seven hits while striking out seven and walking two in the no-decision.
Brown is making his first appearance against the Rays this season. Over two appearances (zero starts) against the Rays in 2022, Brown was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA over four innings. He had five strikeouts and one walk.
For Tampa Bay, right-hander Calvin Faucher (0-0, 5.91 ERA) gets the start. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Astros. In his last start on Friday, Faucher took a no-decision at home against the White Sox. He threw two innings and gave up three runs on five hits, striking out three, in the 8-7 win.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Houston has averaged 5.0 runs a game, equal to their season average. Against righties like Faucher this season, the ‘Stros have a .715 OPS. Alex Bregman has been the team’s biggest on-base threat against right-handers with a .422 OBP in 57 at-bats.
Tampa Bay is averaging only 4.8 runs per game in the last five, down from 6.5 for the season, with their slash line falling across the board (.261/.326/.448). The Rays have ann .869 OPS against right-handers in 2023, highest in the league. With a .661 SLG over 62 at-bats, Josh Lowe has been their best power hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Houston is 7-4 away from home in 2023, scoring 5.2 runs per game while allowing 3.5 runs. Tampa Bay has gone 14-1 at home this season, averaging 6.8 runs per game while surrendering 2.6. Houston is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings at Tropicana Field with an average scoreline of 4.2-3.2.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Astros are second in the AL West, one games behind the division-leading Rangers. The Rays lead the AL East by four games over the Orioles.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
TB Rays (-130)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
