Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros Preview
Where: Minute Maid Park – Houston, TX
When: Thursday, August 3, 2017, 8:10 PM ET
Line: Tampa Bay Rays (+123) at Houston Astros (-133); total: 9.5 – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: SUN
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Betting on the Tampa Bay Rays (56-53)
Pitching for the Rays in the final game of this four-game set is Blake Snell (0-6, 4.87 ERA). The young lefty is still searching for his first win of the season after the Tampa Bay bullpen coughed up a late lead in Saturday’s 5-4 loss to the New York Yankees. He allowed three earned runs on six hits over 5.1 innings in that ballgame to earn a no-decision. That being said, the signs are encouraging for Snell who has shown marked improvement since adjusting his delivery from the third-base side of the pitching rubber to the center. He has surrendered just three walks over his last two starts.
With Snell still a big question mark at this point, the onus is on the Tampa Bay hitters to provide some much-needed runs tonight. One guy who’s swinging the bat well for the Rays at the moment is Lucas Duda. The first baseman has been a welcome addition to the Rays lineup, nabbing six hits, including a double and three homers over his first 23 plate appearances for Tampa Bay. Duda has also drawn five walks since being traded from the Mets.
The Rays are 5-5 in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the Houston Astros (69-38)
Starting for Houston in the series finale is Collin McHugh (0-0, 4.22 ERA). He returned to form on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers, pitching six innings of one-run ball in a hard-fought 5-3 loss. The Astros will need McHugh to deliver that kind of pitching against a Tampa Bay side that’s sizzling at the plate at the moment. The Rays have scored a a combined 16 runs in the first three games of this series. McHugh holds a stingy 2.52 ERA in four career starts against Tampa Bay.
McHugh can’t do it all alone, though, and he needs the Astros hitters to contribute on the offensive end as well. Expected to lead Houston in that department is Jose Altuve. He leads the Astros not only in hits but also in batting average and on-base percentage this season. Altuve is 7-of-27 in his last six games with a pair of RBIs. He may just be 1-of-4 in his career against Tampa Bay starter Blake Snell but Altuve’s lone hit was a home run.
Another player who’s in fine form for Houston right now is Carlos Beltran. The 40-year-old veteran is batting .318 (7-of-22) in his last six games with a homer and a couple of RBIs to boot. Beltran will be licking his chops at the prospect of facing Snell as he is 2-of-7 in his career against the right-hander with a home run and two RBIs.
The Astros are 5-5 in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Astros (-133) edge past the Rays, 5-3.
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