Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 10/17/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2020

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: Astros (+110) Rays (-120)

Tropicana Field is the venue where Brandon Lowe and the Tampa Bay Rays will take on the Houston Astros on Saturday in Game 7 of the ALCS. The moneyline on this contest has the Astros coming in at +110 and the Rays are at -120. The O/U has been set at 8. The expected starting pitchers will be Lance McCullers Jr and Charlie Morton.

Key Houston Astros Injuries

10/17/2020 Josh James RP Leg 
10/11/2020 Austin Pruitt RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Apr 1, 2021
10/7/2020 Brad Peacock RP Shoulder Out for the season
9/30/2020 Roberto Osuna RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2021
9/29/2020 Justin Verlander SP Elbow Out for the season
9/29/2020 Chris Devenski RP Elbow Out for the season
9/23/2020 Rogelio Armenteros RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2021
8/23/2020 Yordan Alvarez DH Knee Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2021

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

10/16/2020 Kevin Kiermaier CF Hand 
10/11/2020 Cody Reed RP Finger Expected to be out until at least Oct 19
8/29/2020 Chaz Roe RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2021
8/29/2020 Jalen Beeks RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1, 2021
8/22/2020 Yonny Chirinos SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2022
8/13/2020 Andrew Kittredge RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2022
7/21/2020 Colin Poche RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1, 2021

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros had a 29-31 overall record this season. McCullers has thrown 509 frames and has 565 strikeouts during his career. His earned run average is 3.70 (209 earned runs allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.262. He has allowed 444 base hits (7.9 hits per 9 innings) and has 198 free passes. McCullers (32-25 career mark) sits with a FIP of 3.33 while facing 2,138 batters in the major leagues. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.39 and they have given up 204 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .214 against the bullpen and they've struck out 225 hitters and walked 118 batters. As a team, Houston allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.31. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 472 base hits and 251 earned runs. They have allowed 70 home runs this season, ranking them 20th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 217 batters and struck out 526. They have walked 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 4.33.

Related: How to Bet Parlays

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .240, good for 20th in the league. The Astros hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312, which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 17th in MLB with 8.0 hits per game. Alex Bregman is hitting .242 with an on-base percentage of .350. He has 37 hits this season in 153 at bats with 22 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .451 and an OPS+ of 116. Jose Altuve is hitting .219 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .286. He has totaled 42 hits and he has driven in 18 men in 192 at bats. His OPS+ is 71 while his slugging percentage is at .344. The Astros have 478 hits, including 103 doubles and 69 home runs. Houston has walked 192 times so far this season and they have struck out 440 times as a unit. They have left 382 men on base and have a team OPS of .720. They score 4.65 runs per contest and have scored a total of 279 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 40-20 overall mark this year. During his pro baseball career, Morton has allowed 1,402 base hits while tallying 1,276 strikeouts in 1,440 innings. He has surrendered a total of 653 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.334 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.9. He has a SO/W ratio of 2.46 and he has faced 6,200 opposing batters during his career. Morton (93-89 record in his career) is the owner of a 4.08 earned run average while giving up 8.8 hits per 9 innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.37 and they have given up 234 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .209 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 263 batters and walked 87 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.56. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 475 base knocks and 209 earned runs this season. They have given up 70 home runs this year, which ranks 19th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 168 hitters and struck out 552 batters. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.22 while their FIP as a staff is 3.94.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .238, good for 21st in the league. The Rays hold a .425 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 7.8 hits per contest. Brandon Lowe comes into this matchup batting .269 with an OBP of .362. He has 52 hits this year along with 37 RBI in 193 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .554 with an OPS+ of 152. Willy Adames is hitting .259 this season and he has an OBP of .332. He has collected 48 hits in 185 at bats while driving in 23 runs. He has an OPS+ of 124 and a slugging percentage of .481. The Rays as a unit have 470 base hits, including 105 doubles and 80 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 243 times this year and they have struck out on 608 occasions. They have had 416 men left on base and have an OPS of .753. They have scored 4.82 runs per game and totaled 289 runs this season.

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

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take the Rays (-120) and over 8 runs

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