Tampa Bay Rays at Houston Astros 6/18/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Monday, June 18, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Matt Andriese vs. Gerrit Cole

The Tampa Bay Rays visit Minute Maid Park on Monday, June 18, 2018 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Matt Andriese for the Rays and Gerrit Cole for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Tampa Bay at +138 and Houston at -148. The Rays have a 31-36-3 over/under record and a 39-31-0 run line mark. The Astros are 41-31-0 against the run line and have a 33-35-4 over/under record.

Valuable Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 31-36-3 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 39-31-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 33-35-4 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 41-31-0 against the run line

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

06/12/18 SS Daniel Robertson Hamstring 10-day DL (06/11)
06/04/18 P Chris Archer Groin 10-day DL (06/03)
05/23/18 P Jake Faria Side 60-day DL (05/23)
05/21/18 SS Adeiny Hechavarria Hamstring 10-day DL (05/18)
04/17/18 CF Kevin Kiermaier Thumb 60-day DL (04/16)
04/11/18 P Jose De Leon Elbow 60-day DL (03/28)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

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)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rays have a 32-38 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Matt Andriese has a 1-3 record with an earned run average of 3.27 and a WHIP of 1.09 this season. He has 40 strikeouts over his 41.1 innings pitched and he's given up 37 hits. He's allowed 8.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.13. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.73 and they have given up 265 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the bullpen and they've struck out 284 hitters and walked 105 batters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 3.93. The Rays pitchers collectively have given up 534 base hits and 272 earned runs. They have allowed 72 home runs this season, ranking them 19th in the league. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 215 batters and struck out 580. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.20 and their FIP as a unit is 3.88.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Tampa Bay is hitting .252, good for 8th in the league. The Rays hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Mallex Smith is hitting .285 with an on-base percentage of .347. He has 61 hits this season in 214 at bats with 16 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .374 and an OPS+ of 105. C.J. Cron is hitting .244 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .325. He has totaled 63 hits and he has driven in 36 men in 258 at bats. His OPS+ is 118 while his slugging percentage is at .457. The Rays have 598 hits, including 101 doubles and 65 home runs. Tampa Bay has walked 217 times so far this season and they have struck out 603 times as a unit. They have left 481 men on base and have a team OPS of .711. They score 3.96 runs per contest and have scored a total of 277 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 47-25 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.40, Gerrit Cole has a 8-1 record and a 0.88 WHIP. He has 130 strikeouts over the 93.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 57 hits. He's allowing 5.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.73. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.82 and they have given up 161 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .218 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 238 batters and walked 48 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.3 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.9. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 497 base knocks and 209 earned runs this season. They have given up 68 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 181 hitters and struck out 745 batters. They give up a walk 2.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.05 while their FIP as a staff is 3.11.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .265, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .438 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .335, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.1 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .287 with an OBP of .362. He has 80 hits this year along with 41 RBI in 279 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .495 with an OPS+ of 143. Jose Altuve is hitting .337 this season and he has an OBP of .390. He has collected 98 hits in 291 at bats while driving in 37 runs. He has an OPS+ of 144 and a slugging percentage of .464. The Astros as a unit have 654 base hits, including 137 doubles and 91 homers. Houston has walked 247 times this year and they have struck out on 579 occasions. They have had 477 men left on base and have an OPS of .774. They have scored 5.22 runs per game and totaled 376 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Rays +138

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