Houston Astros at Tampa Bay Rays 7/1/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Charlie Morton vs. Blake Snell

Tropicana Field is the site of the matchup between the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, July 1, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Charlie Morton for the Astros and Blake Snell for the Rays.

Houston opens at -153 while Tampa Bay opens at +143. The Astros have a 38-42-4 over/under record and a 45-39-0 run line mark. The Rays are 49-32-0 against the run line and have a 34-44-3 over/under record.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 38-42-4 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 45-39-0 against the run line

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 34-44-3 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 49-32-0 against the run line

Key Houston Astros Injuries

06/28/18 SS Carlos Correa Back 10-day DL (06/26)
06/28/18 1B Yulieski Gurriel Paternity List is out indefinitely
06/11/18 P Joe Smith Elbow 10-day DL (06/07)
05/21/18 LF Derek Fisher Intestinal 10-day DL (05/20)
03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P James Hoyt Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

06/29/18 P Wilmer Font Side left last start, is "?" for next start
06/26/18 P Jonny Venters Rest 10-day DL (06/25)
06/18/18 3B Christian Arroyo Oblique 10-day DL (06/17)
06/04/18 P Chris Archer Groin 10-day DL (06/03)
05/23/18 P Jake Faria Side 60-day DL (05/23)
04/11/18 P Jose De Leon Elbow 60-day DL (03/28)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 55-29 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Charlie Morton has a 10-1 record with an earned run average of 2.54 and a WHIP of 1.11 this year. He has 122 strikeouts over his 95.2 innings pitched and he's given up 67 hits. He's allowed 6.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.54. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.58 and they have given up 182 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .212 against the bullpen and they've struck out 282 hitters and walked 58 batters. As a team, Houston allows 6.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.8. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 573 base hits and 236 earned runs. They have allowed 76 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 222 batters and struck out 877. They have walked 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.05 and their FIP as a unit is 3.08.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .264, good for 2nd in the league. The Astros hold a .437 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 4th in MLB with 9.0 hits per game. Jose Altuve is hitting .340 with an on-base percentage of .406. He has 112 hits this season in 329 at bats with 41 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .483 and an OPS+ of 154. George Springer is hitting .256 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .336. He has totaled 83 hits and he has driven in 42 men in 324 at bats. His OPS+ is 123 while his slugging percentage is at .448. The Astros have 756 hits, including 161 doubles and 106 home runs. Houston has walked 298 times so far this season and they have struck out 654 times as a unit. They have left 568 men on base and have a team OPS of .773. They score 5.11 runs per contest and have scored a total of 429 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 40-41 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.31, Blake Snell has a 10-4 record and a 1.04 WHIP this season. He has 113 strikeouts over the 101.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 65 hits. He allows 5.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.48. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.50 and they have given up 309 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 328 batters and walked 124 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.66. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 602 base knocks and 294 earned runs this season. They have given up 81 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 256 hitters and struck out 671 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.19 while their FIP as a staff is 3.86.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .249, good for 11th in the league. The Rays hold a .385 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321, which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. C.J. Cron comes into this matchup batting .236 with an OBP of .314. He has 68 hits this year along with 38 RBI in 288 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .441 with an OPS+ of 111. Mallex Smith is hitting .266 this season and he has an OBP of .331. He has collected 64 hits in 241 at bats while driving in 16 runs. He has an OPS+ of 93 and a slugging percentage of .349. The Rays as a unit have 682 base hits, including 118 doubles and 73 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 257 times this year and they have struck out on 707 occasions. They have had 567 men left on base and have an OPS of .706. They have scored 3.89 runs per game and totaled 315 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Rays +143

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn