Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Nathan Karns (7-5) vs. Dallas Keuchel (14-6)

The Tampa Bay Rays head to Minute Maid Park on Wednesday to take on the Houston Astros. The Rays send Nathan Karns to the mound to face Dallas Keuchel of the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Tampa Bay at +179 and Houston at -189. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Rays, with a 64-54 run line record, cover the spread 54% of the time. They also have a 52-57 over/under record. The Astros have a 54-60 over/under record and a 64-55 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 54% of the time.

The Rays come into this game with a 59-59 record, and they are 29-30 away from home. Nathan Karns has a 7-5 record on the season, an earned run average of 3.53 and a 1.24 WHIP. He's pitched 130 innings thus far while surrendering 112 hits over that time and when he starts, the Rays are 11-12. The Rays are also 11-11 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates are averaging 3.4 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 337 hits on the season and have an earned run average of 3.74. Opposing teams are hitting .229 against the Rays bullpen while walking 144 times and striking out 368 times. Tampa Bay is averaging 8.32 strikeouts per game while getting 7.97 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 9th in baseball in team earned run average at 3.66.

Tampa Bay ranks 23rd in the league in team batting average at .247 while hitting .252 on the road. The Rays on-base percentage sits at .311, which puts them at 18th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .393. Evan Longoria leads the team in hits with 116 while the team ranks 25th in baseball with 8.26 hits per game.

With a 64-55 overall record, Houston will come into this game 40-20 at home. Dallas Keuchel has a record of 14-6 while sporting an earned run average of 2.36 on the year with a 1.01 WHIP. He's pitched 171.2 innings thus far while surrendering 134 hits over that time in which the Astros are 16-8. The Astros are also 10-14 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates score an average of 4.5 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 257 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 2.76. Opposing teams are hitting .203 against the Astros bullpen while walking 101 times and striking out 339 times. Houston is averaging 7.7 strikeouts per game while getting 8.12 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.47.

They rank 27th in the league in team batting average with a .242 average while hitting .248 at home. The Astros on-base percentage sits at .309, which puts them at 21st in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .421. Jose Altuve leads the team in hits with 136 while the team ranks 29th in baseball with 8.08 hits a game.

In terms of team defense, the Rays have a fielding percentage of .984 with 67 total errors, 1,029 assists and 3,157 put outs. The Astros have committed 63 errors on the season with 1248 assists and 3,181 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .986 on the year.

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 52-57 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 64-54 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 54-60 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 64-55 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Tampa Bay Rays

08/01/15 RF Steven Souza Hand Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/2)
05/09/15 P Alex Cobb Forearm Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27), out for season
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

Houston Astros

07/02/15 RF George Springer Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/1)
05/19/15 P Samuel Deduno Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/14), out for season
04/17/15 P Brad Peacock Hip Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/14); out for season

Tony's Pick: Take the Rays

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