Sunday, August 28, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Chris Archer vs. Doug Fister

The Tampa Bay Rays head to Minute Maid Park on Sunday to take on the Houston Astros. The probable pitchers are Chris Archer for the Rays and Doug Fister for the Astros. The opening line for this game has Tampa Bay at +121 and Houston at -131. The over/under is 8.5. The Rays have a 59-61-7 over/under mark and a 57-70-0 run line record, meaning they cover 45% of the time. The Astros are 57-71-0 against the run line and have a 57-63-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Rays head into this game with a 54-73 record, and they are 22-36 on the road. Starting pitcher Chris Archer has a 7-17 record with an ERA of 4.11 and a WHIP of 1.28. He has 192 strikeouts during his 162 innings pitched and he has given up 150 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.74. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.18 and they have allowed 380 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the pen while they've been struck out 351 times and walked 132 times this year. As a unit, Tampa Bay has given up 8.71 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.63 hitters per nine. They are 13th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.07. The Rays pitchers have collectively given up 1,085 base hits and 507 earned runs. They have allowed 163 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 373 batters and struck out 1,076. 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 4.19.

As a team, Tampa Bay is hitting .241, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .250 average on the road. The Rays have a .425 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .309 which is good for 27th in the league. They rank 26th in baseball with 8.12 hits per contest. Evan Longoria comes into this game hitting .288 and his on-base percentage is at .340. He has 142 hits this season along with 68 runs scored and 79 runs batted in. He's struck out 113 times and has walked 39 times. Logan Forsythe is hitting .271 and he has an on-base percentage of .336. He has totaled 103 hits so far while scoring 60 runs and he's driven in 41. He has walked 32 times and has struck out 91 times. The Rays have 1,031 hits, including 228 doubles and 168 home runs. They've stolen 47 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 29 times. Tampa Bay has walked 372 times this season and they've struck out 1,154 times as a unit. They've left 834 men on base and have a team OPS of .733. They score 4.17 runs per contest and have scored a total of 529 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this game with a 35-28 home mark and a 67-61 overall record. With an ERA of 3.59, Doug Fister has a 12-8 record and a 1.28 WHIP. He has 101 strikeouts over the 153 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 145 hits. He has allowed 8.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.42. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have given up 371 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 466 times and walking 99 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.62 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 3.98. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,157 base knocks and 513 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 149 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 333 hitters and struck out 1,114. 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 24th in the league while putting together a .236 average at home. The Astros hold a .420 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 23rd in baseball with 8.48 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .259 and he has an OBP of .358. He has 132 hits this year along with 95 runs scored and 72 RBI. He's struck out 131 times and has walked on 69 occasions. Jose Altuve is hitting .358 and he has an OBP of .419. He has collected 180 hits so far while he's scored 91 runs and drove in 85. He has earned a walk 51 times and has punched out 56 times. The Astros as a unit have 1,085 base hits, including 238 doubles and 160 homers. They have 86 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 35 times. Houston as a team has walked 453 times this year and they have struck out 1,162 times. They've had 880 men left on base and have an OPS of .741. They score 4.55 runs per game and have totaled 583 runs so far this season.

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 59-61-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 57-70-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 57-63-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 57-71-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Tampa Bay Rays

08/07/16 LF Desmond Jennings Knee 15-day DL (8/3); out for season
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

08/13/16 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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Astros

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