Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Odds Preview

We start our Tampa Bay Rays (62-43) at Houston Astros (58-45) odds preview with a look at the opening betting line in the premier American League series this weekend. The Rays will send Shane McClanahan (11-1, 2.89 era) to the hill against Christian Javier (7-2, 4.32) for the Astros. Oddsmakers have made Tampa a slight -108 consensus road favorite in game one of the series, the total is 8.5 flat. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:10 pm ET/5:10 pm PT. Tampa is chasing the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East standings, trailing the O’s by 1.5 games. Houston trails the Texas Rangers in the AL West. We continue our Rays vs Astros odds preview by looking at both teams from a betting perspective.

McClanahan Looking To Bounce Back After Tough Start

Shane McClanahan will be a slight favorite against the Houston Astros, but after a few less-than-stellar outings in his last four starts, the lefty won’t be an automatic bet on pitcher as he was earlier in the season. Since June 22nd, McClanahan has thrown 16.2 innings, allowing 17 hits and 13 earned runs (7.02 era). In his last start, the South Florida alum allowed five earned runs in four innings against the Baltimore Orioles; Tampa Bay has lost three of the four games McClanahan has started.

This season, the Rays are 14-5 in games the 2-time all-star has started. As a favorite, the Rays are an impressive 56-31, but that’s only good enough to produce a profit of 76 units. Over the last 30 days, Tampa is just 8-16 (-1082 units) over the last 30 days, the worst mark in Major League Baseball. MLB stats are a massive help when handicapping games, but make sure it’s a recent form that you’re putting an emphasis on. We continue our Rays vs. Astros odds preview with a closer look at the ‘Stros.

Houston Won’t Give The Rangers Breathing Room

The Texas Rangers have almost led the American League West wire to wire, except for a small one-game deficit in the first week of the season. Considering the number of injuries the Houston Astros have had to overcome, it would have served the Rangers better if they put more than a 6.5-game difference between them and the rest of the division. That lead was a little over a month ago, since Houston has closed within 2.5 games of the AL West lead.

While Tampa has slid over the last month, the Astros are among the league’s best in that span, with a 16-9 record (+417 units). Only four other teams have won more money for the betting public over the last 30 days. Christian Javier takes the ball for Houston after holding the Oakland Athletics to two earned runs in 5 ⅔ innings. It was a much-needed outing after allowing 21 earned runs in his previous 15 ⅔ innings. Despite the outing against baseball’s worst franchise, we’re not convinced that the Dominican native can be trusted with an under wager. We conclude our Rays vs Astros odds preview with our MLB score prediction.

The Total Is The Attractive Option

Neither pitcher seems to be in that groove that we like to see if we’re thinking about betting an under. Tampa has averaged 6.31 runs per game when McClanahan gets the start. In 19 games, Tampa has scored three runs or less four times. They’ve given the Baltimore native seven runs or more on nine occasions. Our official selection is to bet the over (8.5) in game one. The names are impressive, but the recent results are not. That does it for our Rays vs Astros odds preview, we wish you nothing but the best with your wagers this weekend.

For MLB betting news, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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