Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 9/21/2022 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: Bally Sports Sun

Odds/Point Spread: Houston (-130) Tampa Bay (+110)

Tropicana Field is the site where the Tampa Bay Rays (82-65) will compete against the Houston Astros (97-51) on Wednesday. The moneyline on this contest has Houston at -130 while Tampa Bay is priced at +110. The over/under has been set at 7. The expected starting pitchers are Lance McCullers Jr and Corey Kluber.

Houston is slugging .425 and have been rung up 1,080 times, while being walked on 493 occasions. They have amassed 653 RBI's and 1,215 hits for the year, while their average at the plate is at .248. The Astros have hit 257 doubles as a squad and have smacked 197 balls out of the park. They have racked up 673 runs and have an on-base percentage of .321. As a team, the Houston Astros are putting up 4.6 runs per outing, which is 9th in the league.

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The Astros have an ERA of 2.94 for the season (2nd in the league), and their staff has rung up 1,364 hitters. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 3.28 and their pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.09. Astros pitchers have conceded 122 home runs and 474 runs (2nd in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 416 players from the other team and their FIP is 3.32 as a team so far this season.

The Astros have sent 430 relief pitchers to the mound on the season. The relievers have inherited 132 base runners this year with 28.0% of those runners crossed the plate. They have 47 saves on the campaign and have missed out on 14 of their 61 save chances. The Astros relievers have recorded a save rate of 77.0% and has come into the game in 153 save situations. The relief pitchers are sitting with 92 holds this year (7th in the league). Astros bullpen pitchers have come into the game with opponents on base 92 times in addition to having 145 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Houston Astros have earned a total of 3,928 putouts on the year, as well as 1,158 assists and 66 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .987 which has them ranked 7th in pro baseball, and have earned 112 double plays. The Astros have transformed 72.1% of baseballs in play into outs out of 11,784 innings on the field, which ranks them 2nd in the majors.

McCullers (48-31 career win-loss mark) has a FIP of 3.35 while he has gone up against 2,966 hitters in the major leagues. He has conceded 591 base knocks (7.5 hits per nine innings) and has had 293 walks. His earned run average is 3.51 (275 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.253. McCullers has taken the mound for 705 innings and has tallied 787 strikeouts thus far in his career.

The Rays have a team slugging percentage of .383 and they average 4.24 runs per contest (18th in baseball). They have hit 266 doubles, while taking a walk 443 times and earning 619 runs. Tampa Bay has hit 130 long balls on the year as well as 590 RBIs. They have been rung up on 1,245 instances (14th in baseball) and have 1,191 hits. The Tampa Bay Rays have earned an on-base percentage of .311 in addition to a batting average of .243 on the campaign.

The Tampa Bay pitching staff have given up 546 runs so far this season while having an ERA of 3.33 (481 earned runs given up). They have given up 154 dingers and they relinquish 3.79 runs per 9 innings (6th in the league). The Rays have a team WHIP of 1.135 and have a FIP of 3.63 as a staff so far this year. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 3.72 (1,267 strikeouts vs 341 free passes). They are sitting at 6th in MLB as a staff in total hits relinquished with 1,133.

Sitting with 188 save situations, the Rays have 111 holds in addition to 32 blown saves. Tampa Bay has called on relievers to step onto the mound in 75 save chances and they have walked away with 43 saves. Their relief pitchers have come in 182 times in high leverage situations in addition to 126 occasions with runners on. Tampa Bay relievers hold an inherited score percentage of 24.3% out of 169 inherited runners. They sit at 22nd in the league with a save rate of 57.3%, and they have dispatched 519 relief pitchers to the mound for the season.

In 11,688 innings on the diamond, the Rays have a efficiency on defense of 70.8% (6th in baseball). The Tampa Bay Rays have turned 97 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .985 (17th in pro baseball). The Rays have recorded 1,245 assists, 76 errors and have accumulated 3,896 putouts so far this year.

Kluber (113-70 career win-loss record) is the owner of a 3.31 earned run average and has given up 8.0 hits per 9 innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 4.86 and he has gone up against 6,362 hitters so far in his career. He has surrendered 578 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.108 and a FIP of 3.1. So far in his career, Kluber has allowed 1,397 hits while accumulating 1,672 strikeouts in 1,570 innings pitched.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (+110) and under 7 runs

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