Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/12/2026

Game Time: 6:10 pm ET, Saturday, September 12, 2026

Venue:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +123, Rays -149; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +125, Rays -150; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +125, Rays -155; Over/Under:  8 runs

Houston Astros:  75-72 (1st place, AL West)

Tampa Bay Rays:  87-59 (1st place, AL East)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Kyle Hunter is on a HOT STREAK in MLB on a 15-6-1 MLB RUN for +$8,220 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Houston Astros:  6-4 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  5-5 last 10

The Astros are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 75-72 record overall and have a road record of 38-34. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 11th in the MLB with a .725 OPS. Rookie pitcher Miguel Ullola is their starting pitcher on Friday while Peter Lambert is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 8-8 with a 3.67 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 3 ER, 1 HR, and 0 BB with 6 SO on 7 hits through 7 IP against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Rays are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Atlanta Braves 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with an 87-59 record overall and have a home record of 47-25. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Astros on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .733 OPS. Drew Rasmussen is their starting pitcher on Friday while Ian Seymour is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 9-6 with a 4.33 ERA this season. His team lost their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 2 homers, and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts on 5 hits through 3 innings pitched against the Texas Rangers.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 87-59 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 47-25 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Astros have looked good in their games this season with their 75-72 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL West. They have been a good road team too with their 38-34 road record this year. The Astros are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have looked good lately, winning their last series over the Phillies, but their offense hasn't been putting up a ton of runs lately. The Rays are only 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they just won their series against the Braves and they have had a much hotter offense this season. Lambert is starting for the Astros in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 8-8 with a 3.67 ERA, but lately he has been giving up a lot more runs. He gave up 3 earned runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him lately and the team has been having more trouble with him too, losing 3 of their last 4 games with him starting. The Rays are going with Seymour in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. he is 9-6 with a 4.33 ERA, but lately he has looked better. He did give up 3 earned runs in his last start and the team has lost 5 games in a row now with him starting, but he does have the better offense to give him some run support and the Rays bullpen has been great all season too. The Rays have also looked like a different team at home this year with one of the best home records in MLB, so look for them to edge the Astros out here with better pitching and a stronger offense. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Astros Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, September 12, 2026 (6:10 pm ET start time) is Rays 6 Astros 3.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Houston Astros Tampa Bay Rays prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Houston Astros: 49-43 (+5 units) on the moneyline against AL East opponents. 122-111 (+11.2 units) on the moneyline in road games. 89-79 (+30.8 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 26-15 UNDER as a road underdog of +125 to +175.

Tampa Bay Rays: 155-154 (-15.3 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL team with an on base percentage .330 or worse. 98-121 (-16.3 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 39-57 (-13.3 units) on the moneyline vs. good power teams - averaging 1.25 or more HR's/game. 27-16 UNDER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Houston Astros:  M. Burrows (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. S. Okert (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. B. Matthews (CF) Sixty Day IL - Knee. C. Correa (SS) Sixty Day IL - Ankle. B. Walter (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  T. Walls (SS) Ten Day IL - Hip. G. Cleavinger (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. M. Rodriguez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. S. McClanahan (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. B. Williamson (2B) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. J. Fraley (RF) Sixty Day IL - Groin. J. Heasley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Lux (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

“I remember the last time he pitched here. It would be great if he can go out there and duplicate that.” - Joe Espada on Cristian Javier after his team’s win against the Phillies in their game on Thursday.

“I cannot say enough about how Nick Martinez threw the ball, how efficient he was. Gave us every opportunity.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s loss against the Braves in their game on Thursday. 

Jeremy Peña (R) SS

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Daulton Varsho (L) CF

Christian Walker (R) 1B

Cam Smith (R) RF

Taylor Trammell (L) LF

Christian Vázquez (R) C

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Liam Hicks (L) C

Victor Mesa Jr. (L) RF

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Cedric Mullins (L) CF

Richie Palacios (L) 2B

Jorge Mateo (R) SS

Batting Average:  Yordan Alvarez (.310)

Hits:  Yordan Alvarez (162)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (38)

RBI:  Yordan Alvarez (96)

Stolen Bases:  Cam Smith (10)

Wins:  Peter Lambert (8)

Saves:  Josh Hader (25)

ERA:  Josh Hader (0.87)

Batting Average:  Chandler Simpson (.308)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (171)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (39)

RBI:  Junior Caminero (93)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (41)

Wins:  Drew Rasmussen (14)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (39)

ERA:  Bryan Baker (1.61)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Joe Espada (3rd season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)