Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Prediction, 10/15/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2020

Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: Rays (-135) Astros (+115)

Minute Maid Park is the site where Yuli Gurriel and the Houston Astros (29-31, 2nd in AL West) will play the Tampa Bay Rays (40-20, 1st in AL East) on Thursday. The Rays open this matchup at -135 while the Astros are priced at +115. The O/U opens at 8. The men taking the mound are Blake Snell and Luis Garcia. The Rays lead the series 3-1 after losing 4-3 in Game 4. Although Dusty Baker hasn't officially announced a strarter as of this post, Garcia is projected to start given Javier's bullpen usage last night.

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

10/14/2020 Kevin Kiermaier CF Hand
10/11/2020 Cody Reed RP Finger Expected to be out until at least Oct 19
8/29/2020 Jalen Beeks RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1, 2021
8/29/2020 Chaz Roe RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Feb 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

Key Houston Astros Injuries

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 Chris Devenski RP Elbow Out for the season
9/29/2020 Justin Verlander SP 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

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rays had a 40-20 overall record this season. Snell has pitched in 556 innings and has racked up 648 K's during his pro baseball career. His earned run average is 3.24 (200 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.237. He has allowed 456 base knocks (7.4 hits per nine innings) with 232 free passes. Snell (42-30 record in his career) holds a FIP of 3.53 and he has gone up against 2,292 opposing batters in the majors. 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 bullpen and they've struck out 263 hitters and walked 87 batters. 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 collectively have given up 475 base hits and 209 earned runs. They have allowed 70 home runs this season, ranking them 19th in the league. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 168 batters and struck out 552. They have walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.22 and their FIP as a unit is 3.94.

Related: How to Bet Parlays

Hitting Statistics

As a team Tampa Bay is hitting .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 game. Mike Zunino is hitting .147 with an on-base percentage of .238. He has 11 hits this season in 75 at bats with 10 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .360 and an OPS+ of 65. Joey Wendle is hitting .286 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .342. He has totaled 48 hits and he has driven in 17 men in 168 at bats. His OPS+ is 116 while his slugging percentage is at .435. The Rays have 470 hits, including 105 doubles and 80 home runs. Tampa Bay has walked 243 times so far this season and they have struck out 608 times as a unit. They have left 416 men on base and have a team OPS of .753. They score 4.82 runs per contest and have scored a total of 289 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 29-31 overall mark this year. 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 Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 225 batters and walked 118 opposing hitters. 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 as a team have surrendered 472 base knocks and 251 earned runs this season. They have given up 70 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 217 hitters and struck out 526 batters. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.33.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .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 contest. Yuli Gurriel comes into this matchup batting .232 with an OBP of .274. He has 49 hits this year along with 22 RBI in 211 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .384 with an OPS+ of 76. Carlos Correa is hitting .264 this season and he has an OBP of .326. He has collected 53 hits in 201 at bats while driving in 25 runs. He has an OPS+ of 92 and a slugging percentage of .383. The Astros as a unit have 478 base hits, including 103 doubles and 69 homers. Houston has walked 192 times this year and they have struck out on 440 occasions. They have had 382 men left on base and have an OPS of .720. They have scored 4.65 runs per game and totaled 279 runs this season.

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

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take the Astros (+115) and over 8 runs

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