Friday, August 26, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Drew Smyly vs. Mike Fiers

The Tampa Bay Rays visit Minute Maid Park on Friday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Drew Smyly for the Rays and Mike Fiers for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Tampa Bay at +135 and Houston at -145. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Rays have a 58-60-7 over/under record and a 55-70-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Astros are 57-70-0 against the run line and have a 56-63-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Rays head into this matchup with a 53-72 record, including 22-35 on the road. Starting pitcher Drew Smyly has a 6-11 record with an earned run average of 4.88 and a WHIP of 1.24. He has 141 strikeouts over his 144 innings pitched and he has given up 141 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.37. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.18 and they have given up 375 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the bullpen while being struck out 346 times and walking 131 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 8.73 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.63 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Rays pitchers have collectively given up 1,072 base hits and 502 earned runs. They have allowed 160 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 367 batters and struck out 1,059. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 4.18.

As a team, Tampa Bay is batting .241, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .250 average away from home. The Rays hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309 which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 26th in baseball with 8.13 hits per game. Evan Longoria comes into this game hitting .287 and his on-base percentage is at .338. He has 140 hits this season along with 67 runs scored and 79 runs batted in. He's struck out 113 times and has walked 37 times. Logan Forsythe is hitting .276 and he has an on-base percentage of .340. He has totaled 103 hits so far while scoring 60 runs and he's driven in 41. He has walked 31 times and has struck out 87 times. The Rays have 1,016 hits, including 221 doubles and 167 home runs. They've stolen 47 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 29 times. Tampa Bay has walked 369 times this season and they've struck out 1,133 times as a unit. They've left 824 men on base and have a team OPS of .734. They score 4.18 runs per contest and have scored a total of 523 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 34-28 home record and a 66-61 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.41, Mike Fiers has a 9-6 record and a 1.32 WHIP. He has 103 strikeouts over the 132.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 144 hits. He has allowed 9.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.71. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have given up 369 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 463 times and walking 99 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.98 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.63 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.99. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,149 base knocks and 509 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 148 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 332 hitters and struck out 1,106. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.83.

As a team, they are batting .247, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .236 average at home. The Astros hold a .419 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 21st in baseball with 8.49 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .260 and he has an OBP of .358. He has 132 hits this year along with 94 runs scored and 72 RBI. He's struck out 129 times and has walked on 68 occasions. Jose Altuve is hitting .361 and he has an OBP of .422. He has collected 180 hits so far while he's scored 90 runs and drove in 84. He has earned a walk 51 times and has punched out 56 times. The Astros as a unit have 1,079 base hits, including 238 doubles and 157 homers. They have 85 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 35 times. Houston as a team has walked 450 times this year and they have struck out 1,152 times. They've had 877 men left on base and have an OPS of .740. They score 4.55 runs per game and have totaled 578 runs so far this season.

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 58-60-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 55-70-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 56-63-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 57-70-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Tampa Bay Rays

08/24/16 2B Tim Beckham Hamstring "?" Thursday vs. Boston Red Sox
08/20/16 2B Nick Franklin Concussion 7-day (8/20)
08/07/16 LF Desmond Jennings Knee 15-day DL (8/3)
08/07/16 P Enny Romero Back 15-day DL (8/4)
07/31/16 RF Oswaldo Arcia Elbow 15-day DL (7/27)
04/01/16 P Alex Cobb Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Houston Astros

08/25/16 2B Yulieski Gurriel Hamstring probable Friday vs. Tampa Bay Rays
08/13/16 LF Preston Tucker Shoulder 15-day DL (8/11)
08/07/16 LF Colby Rasmus Ear 15-day DL (8/5)
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Tony's Pick: Take the Rays

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