Houston Astros at Tampa Bay Rays Betting Preview/Prop Picks
21 September 2022
Time: 6:40 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 17.629; Tampa Bay 15.419
Dunkel Line & Total: Houston by 2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Houston (-131); 7
Dunkel Pick: Houston (-131); Under
Leading the AL West is the Houston Astros, who have a record of 98-51 this season. Coming off a 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays last night, the Astros look to do it again.
Beating the Rays twice in a row isn't going to be an easy task, however, even for the Astros. They'll need to be at their best if they hope to pull off a win tonight. Houston comes into this game as -131 favorites.
The Tampa Bay Rays come into this game, having lost their last two games. It doesn't help that each of these losses was to the Houston Astros. It could be due to the Astros' great hitting or the lack of strong pitching for the Rays.
Whatever it is, these losses haven't helped them advance in the AL East. They still rank third in the division with a record of 82-66 and a 49-27 home record.
Houston Astros - Astros will start McCullers Jr. tonight
Pitching is a vital part of any team's success in Major League Baseball. Although the Astros don't have some of the top names, they have solid competitors in their lineup.
One of these competitors is Lance McCullers Jr., the 3-1 starting pitcher on the mound today. McCullers has an ERA of 2.34 over the course of 34.2 innings. In this time, he's allowed just two home runs.
The good news for McCullers and the Astros is that they have a strong batting group. With the 13th-best team batting average, the Astros come in with a .247 average.
They have an on-base percentage of .321, ranking seventh in the league as well. Keep in mind that this team can score, putting up 682 runs so far this season. The Astros rank eighth overall in this category.
Tampa Bay Rays - Down 0-2, the Rays hope to rally back
This is the final game between these two teams until September 30. To avoid the sweep, the Rays need to put up an incredible performance tonight.
They have some highly skilled players, including Yandy Diaz, who leads the team with a .292 batting average. The team has an overall batting average of .242, ranking 16th overall. Still, they should be able to put up a fight tonight.
Getting the start on the mound today is Corey Kluber, who has a 10-9 record this season. With an ERA of 4.44, the Astros definitely have the advantage on the mound tonight. To combat this, the Rays will need to be better at the plate.
Unfortunately, they haven't scored a single run over the last two games. Because of this, they're not a great option to take in tonight's game.
Houston Astros at Tampa Bay Rays Betting Pick
The Astros have done well at the sportsbook this season, becoming a reliable team to bet on. They have the better pitcher on the mound tonight as well, which definitely helps. Using the last two games as a guide, we have to go with the Astros on the road tonight.
Along with taking the Astros, we're going to go with the under as well. The Rays have been unable to put up runs against Houston, so we're taking that into account. Look for Houston to get a win tonight and complete the sweep at -131.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: Houston Astros -131, UNDER
Prop Picks
Tampa Bay (-140) UNDER 3.5 Runs
Houston is allowing 3.18 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 2 in MLB. That average remains even at 3.18 runs per 9 innings on the road. Scores have gone UNDER in 15 of the Astros’ last 23 games overall.
With Dunkel predicting a Houston win by the score of 4-2, take the Rays (-140) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 3.5 runs against the Astros.
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