Rays vs. Astros Prediction
Shane McClanahan will oppose Cristian Javier in Friday night’s pitching matchup between the Rays and Astros at 8:10 p.m. ET. With the game listed as essentially a pick’em and the total sitting at 8.5 runs, what’s the best bet when it comes to tonight’s matchup?
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
967 Tampa Bay Rays (-115) at 968 Houston Astros (-105); o/u 8.5
8:10 p.m. ET, Friday, July 28, 2023
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
Rays vs. Astros Public Betting Information
As of this writing, our MLB Public Betting Page shows that 58% of bets are on the Astros’ moneyline. That said, this page is updated frequently so make sure that you click on the link provided so that you’re getting the most updated information.
Tampa Bay Rays DFS SPIN
Randy Arozarena went hitless in a third straight game against the Marlins on Wednesday, finishing 0-for-4. Arozarena complained of some soreness last week after a wall collision, but his struggles date back further than that; he is hitting .165 with a 28/6 K/BB ratio in 98 plate appearances since June 25. With Wander Franco also in a miserable slump, the lineup just isn’t getting it done right now, but at the same time, it’s hard to see where the Rays can easily upgrade other than catcher, which is always complicated.
Houston Astros DFS SPIN
Alex Bregman went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer on Wednesday against the Rangers. Bregman put the Astros on the board early, taking Andrew Heaney deep for a three-run blast in the first inning. The three runs would be all the Astros could get in the blowout loss. It was Bregman’s 17th homer of the season while hitting .256/.347/.430 with 66 RBI across 452 plate appearances. He’s on pace for his highest home run total since his 41-homer campaign in 2019.
Rays vs. Astros MLB Betting Trends
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tampa Bay’s last 9 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Houston’s last 9 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Rays vs. Astros MLB BETTING PREDICTION
Given the form of both starting pitchers, I think the over is a sneaky-good play tonight in Houston. McClanahan is 11-1 with a 2.89 ERA but he’s winless over his last four starts and has pitched to a 7.02 ERA during that span. For what it’s worth, he’s also 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in two career starts against the Astros, both of which came down the stretch last season. On the other side, Javier is 0-1 with a 7.52 ERA over his last seven starts, with 17 walksa nd an opponent OPS of .861 over 32 1/3 innings.
MLB BETTING PREDICTION: RAYS/ASTROS OVER 8.5