Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Prediction, 9/30/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros

Date: Thursday, September 30, 2021

Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest

Odds/Point Spread: Tampa Bay (+155) Houston (-200)

Minute Maid Park is the venue where Lance McCullers Jr and the Houston Astros (92-65, 1st in AL West) will take on the Tampa Bay Rays (97-60, 1st in AL East) on Thursday. The odds on this game have the Rays coming in at +155 and the Astros are at -200. The over/under is set at 8.5. The pitchers taking the mound will be Ryan Yarbrough and Lance McCullers Jr.

Tampa Bay has a slugging % of .426 and have been called out on strikes 1,497 times, while taking a walk on 566 occasions. They have accounted for 785 RBI's as well as 1,287 hits on the campaign, while their team batting average sits at .241. The Rays have compiled 281 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 213 baseballs out of the stadium. They have a total of 832 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .320. As a team, the Tampa Bay Rays are putting up 5.3 runs per game, which is 2nd in the league.

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The Rays have a team earned run average of 3.72 for the season (5th in the league), and they have rung up 1,438 hitters. Their K/BB ratio is 3.35 and their pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.18. Rays pitchers have allowed 182 home runs and 642 runs in total (7th in the league). They have walked 429 players from the other team and their FIP is 3.82 as a team this season.

Rays pitchers have come into the game with runners on base 123 times and also have had 176 appearances in high leverage situations. The bullpen have tallied 90 holds for the season (8th in MLB). The Rays relievers have accumulated a save rate of 65.1% and has come into the game in 156 save situations. They have earned 41 saves on the year and have missed out on 22 of their 63 save chances. The relief pitchers have inherited 161 runners so far this season and 28.0% of them earned a run for their team. The Rays have sent 511 relief pitchers to the hill on the campaign.

The Rays have transformed 70.4% of balls hit into play into outs in their 12,711 innings on the diamond, ranking them 7th in the majors. The Tampa Bay Rays have 4,237 putouts over the course of the season, in addition to 1,319 assists and 79 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .986 which has them sitting 9th in pro baseball, and have a total of 1,006 double plays.

Yarbrough has pitched in 495 frames and has totaled 403 punch outs so far in his pro baseball career. Yarbrough (37-22 career win-loss mark) is the owner of a FIP of 4.03 while he has faced 2,059 hitters in the major leagues. His ERA is 4.29 (236 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.176. He has given up 474 hits (8.6 hits per nine innings) with 108 free passes.

The Astros have a SLG% of .442 and they tally 5.33 runs per contest (1st in MLB). They have put up 292 doubles, while getting a free base 559 times as well as scoring 837 runs. Houston has accounted for 211 long balls over the course of the season as well as 808 runs batted in. They have been called out on strikes on 1,189 occasions (29th in MLB) and have earned 1,448 hits. The Houston Astros have tallied a team on-base percentage of .339 in addition to a batting average of .267 on the season.

The Houston pitching staff have surrendered 631 runs this year and come in with a team ERA of 3.74 (581 earned runs yielded). They have yielded 178 homers and they yield 4.06 runs per 9 innings (4th in MLB). The Astros have a team WHIP of 1.229 in addition to having a FIP of 4.08 as a team this season. They currently have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.65 (1,417 strikeouts against 534 free passes). They rank 5th in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits surrendered with 1,187.

Houston has called on relief pitchers to step onto the hill in 59 save opportunities and they have converted 33 saves. They rank 23rd in the league holding a save rate of 55.9%, and they have dispatched 498 relievers to the mound so far this season. Their relievers have come in 161 times in high leverage situations and on 136 occasions with runners on. Houston relievers hold an inherited score percentage of 36.5% out of 200 inherited runners. Sitting with 125 save situations, the Astros have 65 holds in addition to 26 blown saves.

Out of their 12,600 innings played, the Astros are sitting with a efficiency on defense of 71.4% (3rd in MLB). The Houston Astros have turned 120 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .989 (1st in professional baseball). The Astros have 1,378 assists, 64 errors and have earned 4,200 putouts so far this year.

Thus far in his career, McCullers has surrendered 563 base knocks while he has earned 746 punch outs in 665 innings pitched. McCullers (44-30 record in his career) is the owner of a 3.57 earned run average while giving up 7.6 hits per nine innings. He has conceded a total of 264 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.257 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.3. His K/BB ratio is 2.73 and he has faced 2,801 opposing batters in his pro baseball career.

Who will win tonight's baseball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston (-200)

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