Tampa Bay Rays at Houston Astros 6/20/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Charlie Morton

The Tampa Bay Rays visit Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, June 20, 2018 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Nathan Eovaldi for the Rays and Charlie Morton for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Tampa Bay at +247 and Houston at -272. The Rays have a 32-37-3 over/under record and a 41-31-0 run line mark. The Astros are 42-32-0 against the run line and have a 35-35-4 over/under record.

Valuable Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 32-37-3 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 41-31-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

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

The Houston Astros are 42-32-0 against the run line

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

06/19/18 CF Kevin Kiermaier Thumb 60-day DL (04/16); expected to be activated Tuesday vs Houston Astros
06/18/18 3B Christian Arroyo Oblique 10-day DL (06/17)
06/18/18 Ryne Stanek Undisclosed left last game, is "?" for next scheduled start
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)
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 33-39 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has a 1-2 record with an earned run average of 4.63 and a WHIP of 0.81 this season. He has 16 strikeouts over his 23.1 innings pitched and he's given up 16 hits. He's allowed 6.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.33. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.74 and they have given up 278 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the bullpen and they've struck out 297 hitters and walked 110 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 3.91. The Rays pitchers collectively have given up 551 base hits and 278 earned runs. They have allowed 73 home runs this season, ranking them 21st in the league. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 221 batters and struck out 598. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.21 and their FIP as a unit is 3.86.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Tampa Bay is hitting .251, good for 9th in the league. The Rays hold a .387 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Mallex Smith is hitting .279 with an on-base percentage of .340. He has 61 hits this season in 219 at bats with 16 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .365 and an OPS+ of 100. C.J. Cron is hitting .237 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .317. He has totaled 63 hits and he has driven in 36 men in 266 at bats. His OPS+ is 112 while his slugging percentage is at .444. The Rays have 613 hits, including 104 doubles and 66 home runs. Tampa Bay has walked 223 times so far this season and they have struck out 626 times as a unit. They have left 493 men on base and have a team OPS of .709. They score 3.94 runs per contest and have scored a total of 284 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 49-25 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.94, Charlie Morton has a 8-1 record and a 1.14 WHIP. He has 105 strikeouts over the 82.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 61 hits. He's allowing 6.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.77. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.75 and they have given up 162 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 244 batters and walked 50 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.9 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 2.91. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 507 base knocks and 215 earned runs this season. They have given up 70 home runs this year, which ranks 24th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 190 hitters and struck out 768 batters. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.05 while their FIP as a staff is 3.13.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .268, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .439 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .337, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.2 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .279 with an OBP of .355. He has 80 hits this year along with 41 RBI in 287 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .481 with an OPS+ of 137. Jose Altuve is hitting .342 this season and he has an OBP of .398. He has collected 102 hits in 298 at bats while driving in 37 runs. He has an OPS+ of 148 and a slugging percentage of .470. The Astros as a unit have 679 base hits, including 142 doubles and 92 homers. Houston has walked 252 times this year and they have struck out on 588 occasions. They have had 492 men left on base and have an OPS of .776. They have scored 5.24 runs per game and totaled 388 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Rays +247

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 Tony Sink