Friday, July 10, 2015

Tropicana Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Collin McHugh (9-4) vs. Erasmo Ramirez (7-3)

The Tampa Bay Rays welcome the Houston Astros to Tropicana Field on Friday. Collin McHugh is the probable starter for the Astros and he'll face Erasmo Ramirez of the Rays. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -117 and Tampa Bay at +107. The over/under was set at 7. The Astros, with a 51-36 run line record, cover the spread 59% of the time. They also have a 41-42 over/under record. The Rays have a 38-44 over/under record and a 48-39 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 55% of the time.

The Astros show up with a 49-38 record, including 21-22 on the road. Collin McHugh has a 9-4 record on the season, an earned run average of 4.54 and a 1.30 WHIP. The Astros are 11-6 over his 107 innings pitched and he's also given up 112 hits over that time period. The Astros are also 10-6 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates are averaging 5.2 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 182 hits on the season and have a earned run average of 2.75. The bullpen has struck out 255 and walked 78 batters this season while opposing teams hit .194 against them. Houston has a team average of 7.97 hits allowed per game and are averaging 7.72 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.58, they are 8th in the league.

Houston ranks 25th in the league in team batting average at .243 while hitting .250 on the road. The Astros on-base percentage sits at .309, which puts them at 21st in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .424. With 95 hits, Jose Altuve leads the team while his team ranks 26th in hits per game with 8.17.

Tampa Bay is 20-25 at home while holding a 43-44 overall record on the season. Erasmo Ramirez has a record of 7-3 while sporting an earned run average of 3.80 on the year with a 1.13 WHIP. The Rays have a record of 9-3 over the 73.1 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 58 hits. The Rays are also 4-6 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates score an average of 4.4 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 272 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 4.09. The Rays bullpen has struck out 277 batters and walked 119 this season while opposing teams have hit .241 against them. Tampa Bay has a team average of 7.96 hits per game and are averaging 8.35 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.58, they are 9th in the league.

They rank 26th in the league in team batting average with a .241 average while hitting .241 at home. The Rays on-base percentage sits at .306, which puts them at 22nd in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .381. With 83 hits, Evan Longoria leads the team while his team ranks 28th in hits per game with 8.06.

In terms of team defense, the Astros have a fielding percentage of .986 with 46 total errors, 931 assists and 2,337 put outs. Over the course of this season, the Rays have accumlated 45 errors while having 773 assists and 2,344 put outs leading to a .986 fielding percentage.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 41-42 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 51-36 against the run line so far this season

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 38-44 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 48-39 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

07/09/15 3B Luis Valbuena Toe "?" Thursday vs. Cleveland Indians
07/02/15 RF George Springer Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list ((7/1)
06/26/15 P Chad Qualls Neck Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/25)
05/29/15 P Scott Feldman Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/27)
05/19/15 P Samuel Deduno Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/14)
04/28/15 SS Jed Lowrie Thumb Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/28)
04/17/15 P Brad Peacock Side Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/14)

Tampa Bay Rays

07/09/15 P Jake Odorizzi Oblique Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/6); expected to start Saturday vs. Houston Astros
07/07/15 RF Steven Souza Finger Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/6)
05/31/15 2B Tim Beckham Hamstring Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/31)
05/10/15 P Drew Smyly Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/6), out for season
05/09/15 P Alex Cobb Forearm Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27), out for season
05/03/15 CF Desmond Jennings Knee Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/26)
04/29/15 P Kirby Yates Pectoral Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/29)
04/18/15 P Jeff Beliveau Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/22), out for season

Tony's Pick: Take the Rays

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