Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Betting Prediction and Best Odds September 20
Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Betting Pick: The Preview
WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his analysis of Tuesday’s Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros clash at Tropicana Field. Last night’s 4-0 win by the Astros was the first meeting between these two teams on the season.
| Tuesday, September 20 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Tampa Bay Rays -155 vs Houston Astros +130 |
| Runline: | Rays -1.5 (+155) / Astros +1.5 (-175) |
| Total: | 6.5 Runs (Over +105 / Under -125) |
| Game Time: | 6:40pm ET / 3:40pm PT |
| Where: | Tropicana Field in Tampa, FL |
| Weather: | Dome |
Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Analysis
The Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays will play the second game of a three game series from Tropicana Field on Tuesday evening. The Astros prevailed last night as they blanked the Rays 4-0 to open the series. The Rays are immersed in a log jam with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners for the three Wild Card spots.
This will be a battle between two 25 year-old front-line starters as Shane McClanahan gets the nod for Tampa Bay while Cristian Javier toes the rubber for Houston. First pitch is slated for 6:40 PM EST/3:40 PST from the Trop.
Astros Officially Clinch The West
The Houston Astros may have done a bit of celebrating last night after clinching the American League West with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Luis Garcia tossed five scoreless innings followed by Hunter Brown and Hector Neris.
Leadoff man Jose Altuve went 2 for 4 while belting his 25th longball of the season. Houston improved to an impressive 97-51 on the season while officially wrapping up the West. They still have an outside chance of catching the Los Angeles Dodgers for home field advantage throughout the post-season.
The one of the deepest rosters in the league as they have built up their starting pitching while having one of the leagues best bullpens. Cristian Javier will give it a go for Houston on Tuesday.
He is 9-9 with a 2.87 ERA and 173 strikeouts across 131.2 innings pitched. Javier tossed six scoreless innings while allowing only two hits in his last outing against the Detroit Tigers.
Rays Fight For Wildcard Spot
The Tampa Bay Rays record dropped to 82-65 after getting blanked 4-0 at home against the Houston Astros. Drew Rasmussen was roughed up for four runs on six hits across six innings of work.
Harold Ramirez went 3 for 4 with two doubles while collecting three of his teams five hits. The Rays currently occupy the 2nd Wild Card spot with a half game lead over the Seattle Mariners and 5.5 game lead over the Baltimore Orioles.
Tampa Bay has struggled a bit recently as they have lost 7 of their last 11 games. The southpaw Shane McClanahan looked sharp as he hurled five shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays in his first outing since coming off the 15 day IL. He is 12-5 with a 2.13 ERA, 0.86 WHIP while striking out 187 hitters across 152.1 innings of work.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Prediction
The Tampa Bay Rays are home favorites with a money line set at -145 while the Houston Astros sit at +130 with a total of 6. One thing is for sure, we have a marquee pitching matchup between Shane McClanahan and Cristian Javier.
McClanahan has the leagues 2nd best ERA and has only allowed four runs or more twice in a staggering 25 outings. Javier has been lights out recently as he has a 1.79 ERA across his last seven starts. The Astros are very strong against left-handed pitching, but McClanahan isn’t your average lefty.
This screams of a letdown spot for Houston after celebrating the clinching of the American League West. They basically have home field locked up in the American League and have know its a longshot to catch the Dodgers.
I think the veteran manager Dusty Baker may air on the side of caution and rest some everyday players. Meanwhile the Rays can’t afford to lose ground as they fight for their playoff lives. They love playing at the Trop and should take advantage of some sluggish Astros players.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays -155
First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Tuesday, September 20
Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective. Join WagerTalk’s team of MLB betting experts every weekday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT for First Pitch as we discuss the baseball betting slate.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all of Tuesday’s baseball games, including this Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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