Tampa Bay Rays at Houston Astros 7/31/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Monday, July 31, 2017

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Alex Cobb vs. Charlie Morton

Minute Maid Park is the site of the matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Houston Astros on Monday, July 31, 2017. The probable starting pitchers are Alex Cobb for the Rays and Charlie Morton for the Astros.

Tampa Bay opens at +146 while Houston opens at -156. The Rays have a 57-45-3 over/under record and a 53-52-0 run line mark. The Astros are 59-44-0 against the run line and have a 55-41-7 over/under record.

Valuable Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 57-45-3 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 53-52-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 55-41-7 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 59-44-0 against the run line

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

07/26/17 P Jake Odorizzi Back 10-day DL (07/25)
07/01/17 SS Daniel Robertson Neck 10-day DL (06/26)
06/26/17 P Diego Moreno Shoulder 60-day DL (05/22)
06/23/17 LF Colby Rasmus Hip 10-day DL (06/19)
06/13/17 P Matt Andriese Hip 60-day DL (06/11)
06/09/17 CF Kevin Kiermaier Hip 60-day DL (06/09)
06/09/17 LF Rickie Weeks Jr. Shoulder 10-day DL (06/09)
06/01/17 P Kevin Gadea Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
06/01/17 3B Matt Duffy Achilles 60-day DL (04/02)
06/01/17 P Shawn Tolleson Elbow 60-day DL (04/01)
05/18/17 P Xavier Cedeno Forearm 60-day DL (04/18)
04/01/17 P Nathan Eovaldi Elbow 60-day DL (03/10)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

07/28/17 CF George Springer Quad 10-day DL (07/25)
07/23/17 3B Colin Moran Facial 10-day DL (07/23)
07/18/17 SS Carlos Correa Thumb 10-day DL (07/18)
07/01/17 P David Paulino Suspension 80 game suspension
04/20/17 P Jandel Gustave Forearm 60-day DL (04/19)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rays have a 53-52 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Alex Cobb has a 9-6 record with an earned run average of 3.46 and a WHIP of 1.17. He has 90 strikeouts over his 138 innings pitched and he's given up 128 hits. He allows 8.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.22. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.38 and they have given up 311 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the bullpen and they've struck out 293 hitters and walked 135 batters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.11. The Rays pitchers collectively have given up 869 base hits and 425 earned runs. They have allowed 124 home runs this season, ranking them 18th in the league. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 338 batters and struck out 840. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 4.28.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Tampa Bay is hitting .252, good for 18th in the league. The Rays hold a .435 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 21st in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Corey Dickerson is hitting .301 with an on-base percentage of .344. He has 119 hits this season in 395 at bats with 44 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .529 and an OPS+ of 135. Logan Morrison is hitting .246 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .360. He has totaled 82 hits and he has driven in 62 men in 333 at bats. His OPS+ is 142 while his slugging percentage is at .535. The Rays have 892 hits, including 160 doubles and 149 home runs. Tampa Bay has walked 359 times so far this season and they have struck out 1003 times as a unit. They have left 710 men on base and have a team OPS of .758. They score 4.57 runs per contest and have scored a total of 475 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 68-35 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.83, Charlie Morton has a 8-4 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He has 92 strikeouts over the 82.1 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 72 hits. He allows 7.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.95. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.28 and they have given up 302 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 447 batters and walked 127 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 4.05. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 813 base knocks and 412 earned runs this season. They have given up 122 home runs this year, which ranks 21st in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 323 hitters and struck out 1041 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.24 while their FIP as a staff is 3.80.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .292, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .502 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .355, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 10.2 hits per contest. Josh Reddick comes into this matchup batting .307 with an OBP of .350. He has 96 hits this year along with 53 RBI in 313 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .498 with an OPS+ of 134. Jose Altuve is hitting .369 this season and he has an OBP of .433. He has collected 144 hits in 390 at bats while driving in 59 runs. He has an OPS+ of 181 and a slugging percentage of .585. The Astros as a unit have 1040 base hits, including 227 doubles and 167 homers. Houston has walked 329 times this year and they have struck out on 696 occasions. They have had 701 men left on base and have an OPS of .857. They have scored 5.93 runs per game and totaled 605 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Rays/Astros MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros -156

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