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The Houston Astros (13-11) take on the Tampa Bay Rays (20-4) in the final game of a three game set. This game will continue our MLB odds series with a Astros-Rays prediction and pick while we let you know how to watch.
Game one of this series was taken by the Rays. Taj Bradley had a stellar performance and Wander Franco had four hits on the night. Tampa Bay had four other players with multi-hit games in the 8-3 victory. Six different players recorded an RBI for the Rays. For Houston, Alex Bregman and Jeremy Pena homered in the loss.
Game two saw the Rays home winning streak finally come to an end. Houston scored five runs in the fifth inning thanks to doubles from Pena, Jose Abreu and Corey Julks. Kyle Tucker and Jake Myers picked up RBI singles in that same inning. This would be all the scoring done in the game as the Astros won 5-0. Luis Garcia was stellar for Houston. He threw six shutout innings with seven strikeouts and allowing only three hits. For Tampa Bay, Drew Rasmussen gave up nine hits over 4 2/3 innings. He allowed all five runs and suffered the loss in the game.
The rubber match will see Hunter Brown take the mound for Houston and Calvin Faucher start for Tampa Bay.
Here are the Astros-Rays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Astros-Rays Odds
Houston Astros: +1.5 (-192)
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+158)
Over: 8.5 (-114)
Under: 8.5 (-106)
How To Watch Astros vs. Rays
TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, Bally Sports Sun
Stream: MLB TV Subscription
Time: 6:40 PM ET/3:40 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
The Astros have a lot of confidence coming into game three. They entered this series after sweeping the Atlanta Braves and they just handed the Rays their first home loss. They did it against a very good pitcher too. Tampa bay is using an opener in this game, but they Astros will have the opportunity to strike early. Faucher has given up a run in all five of his outings this season. In 10 innings pitched, Faucher has given up 14 hits and seven runs. He is not too much of a strikeout pitcher, but he will not walk you either. Houston will need to be aggressive early in the count and ambush him early. Tampa Bay has a very good bullpen to go to after Faucher, so the Astros will need to score early in this game.
Hunter Brown is on the mound for Houston. He has had some good outings this season and a few he would like to forget about. However, if the Astros get the good Hunter Brown in this game, they will be able to roll to a series win. Brown has two starts of seven innings and no earned runs. Those came against good teams in the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers. He also pitched pooly against the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers. Tampa Bay is the best offensive team in the league. Brown needs to be at his best in this game for the Astros to win the series.
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
Tampa Bay is the best offensive team in the league, as mentioned previously. They lead the league in average, home runs and they are the only team slugging above .500 for the season. Brown is going to attack hitters with a clean mix of his fastball, slider and curveball. The Rays are going to have to attack the fastball early to avoid his off-speed late. He does miss over the plate more than the average pitcher in the MLB, so Tampa Bay will have to take advantage of those pitches as well.
The Rays suffered their first home loss of the season Tuesday night. However, they are still the best home team in the MLB as of right now, and that will probably continue all season. Tampa Bay is very hard to beat at Tropicana Field, and that alone gives them a reason to win and cover the spread. They currently have the best offense in the MLB along with a top pitching staff. They are going to come out in this game with energy as they do not want to lose two in a row.
Final Astros-Rays Prediction & Pick
This game should be close. The Astros have one of their better pitchers on the mound and he has pitched well for the most part. Expect Houston to keep this one close.
Final Astros-Rays Prediction & Pick: Astros +1.5 (-192), Under 8.5 (-106)
