Friday, June 10, 2016

Tropicana Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Lance McCullers vs. Matt Andriese

The Houston Astros visit Tropicana Field on Friday to play the Tampa Bay Rays. The probable starters are Lance McCullers for the Astros and Matt Andriese for the Rays. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -110 and Tampa Bay at +100. The over/under was set at 8. The Astros have a 31-25-5 over/under record and a 27-34-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Rays are 28-30-0 against the run line and have a 27-26-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Astros head into this matchup with a 29-32 record, including 12-18 on the road. Starting pitcher Lance McCullers has a 3-1 record with an earned run average of 4.23 and a WHIP of 1.66. He has 37 strikeouts over his 27.2 innings pitched and he has given up 27 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.98. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.28 and they have given up 181 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the bullpen while being struck out 233 times and walking 47 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.38 batters per nine. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 567 base hits and 259 earned runs. They have allowed 66 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 165 batters and struck out 522. They walk 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 3.74.

As a team, Houston is batting .237, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .243 average away from home. The Astros hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.15 hits per game. Jose Altuve comes into this game hitting .336 and his on-base percentage is at .414. He has 81 hits this season along with 45 runs scored and 36 runs batted in. He's struck out 25 times and has walked 30 times. Carlos Correa is hitting .254 and he has an on-base percentage of .347. He has totaled 59 hits so far while scoring 28 runs and he's driven in 32. He has walked 30 times and has struck out 68 times. The Astros have 497 hits, including 111 doubles and 76 home runs. They've stolen 52 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 15 times. Houston has walked 234 times this season and they've struck out 600 times as a unit. They've left 425 men on base and have a team OPS of .726. They score 4.3 runs per contest and have scored a total of 262 runs so far this year.

Tampa Bay comes into this matchup with a 11-15 home record and a 27-31 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.52, Matt Andriese has a 4-0 record and a 1.02 WHIP. He has 25 strikeouts over the 39.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 32 hits. He has allowed 7.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.87. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.83 and they have given up 168 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the Rays bullpen while being struck out 158 times and walking 60 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 8.67 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.58 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.13. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 491 base knocks and 234 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 78 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 167 hitters and struck out 486. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.26.

As a team, they are batting .240, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .217 average at home. The Rays hold a .435 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .311 which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 21st in baseball with 8.12 hits per contest. Evan Longoria comes into this matchup batting .279 and he has an OBP of .332. He has 64 hits this year along with 34 runs scored and 35 RBI. He's struck out 57 times and has walked on 18 occasions. Steven Souza is hitting .256 and he has an OBP of .318. He has collected 51 hits so far while he's scored 26 runs and drove in 24. He has earned a walk 16 times and has punched out 78 times. The Rays as a unit have 471 base hits, including 101 doubles and 88 homers. They have 24 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 14 times. Tampa Bay as a team has walked 178 times this year and they have struck out 539 times. They've had 393 men left on base and have an OPS of .746. They score 4.19 runs per game and have totaled 243 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 31-25-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 27-34-0 against the run line so far this season

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 27-26-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 28-30-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

No key injuries to report

Tampa Bay Rays

06/09/16 2B Steve Pearce Elbow probable Friday vs. Houston Astros
06/06/16 LF Brandon Guyer Hamstring 15-day DL (6/4)
06/02/16 P Brad Boxberger Oblique 15-day DL (6/1)
05/31/16 P Ryan Webb Pectoral 15-day DL (5/27)
05/23/16 CF Kevin Kiermaier Hand 15-day DL (5/22)
05/14/16 2B Logan Forsythe Shoulder 15-day DL (5/10)
04/10/16 P Chase Whitley Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Alex Cobb Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros

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