Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/30/2025

Game Time: 8:10 pm ET, Friday, May 30, 2025

Venue:  Daikin Park, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  SCHN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +140, Astros -166; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +140, Astros -165; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +140, Astros -165; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  28-27 (2nd place, AL East)

Houston Astros:  30-25 (2nd place, AL West)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  7-3 last 10

Houston Astros:  7-3 last 10

The Rays are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Minnesota Twins 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 28-27 record overall and have a road record of 10-8. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Astros on Friday with the series opener still to be played on Thursday. Their offense ranks 21st in the MLB with a .687 OPS. Shane Baz is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Ryan Pepiot is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 3-5 with a 3.55 ERA this season. His team lost 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 5 Ks on 3 hits through 7 IP against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Astros are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 2-game series against the Athletics 2-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 30-25 record overall and have a home record of 20-10. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Rays on Friday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Thursday. Their offense ranks 13th in the MLB with a .717 OPS. Rookie pitcher Ryan Gusto is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Framber Valdez is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-4 with a 3.39 ERA this season. His team won their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 4 BB with 5 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings played against the Seattle Mariners.

The current betting odds have the Astros listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Astros have looked good in their games this season with their 30-25 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL West and in the division race. They have looked a lot better in their own ballpark too with their 20-10 home record this year. Meanwhile, the Rays have looked good in their games this season with their 28-27 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL East, but that record has them in the Wild Card race and not really in the division race at the moment. They haven't been a bad road team either with their 10-8 road record. Both of these teams have been rolling lately as both are 7-3 in their last 10 games, but the Astros have the better pitching matchup here and can take advantage of that. Valdez is on the mound for the Astros and he has been a solid starter for them all season. He is 4-4 with a 3.39 ERA and the team has been great with him lately, winning their last 4 games with him starting. He also gave up just 1 earned run in his last start and that has been a common theme for him this year, especially at home. Pepiot is on the mound for the Rays and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 3-5 with a 3.55 ERA and the team hasn't done well with him starting lately. He is coming off a good start in which he gave up no runs, but the Rays have still lost 4 of the last 5 games he pitched in. The best way to place a bet here is on the Astros to win this game. 

Rays Astros Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, May 30, 2025 (8:10 pm ET start time) is Astros 4 Rays 3.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 93-86 (+6.6 units) on the moneyline in road games. 53-42 (+9.3 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.45 or better. 51-38 (+9.3 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 53-38 UNDER vs. a team with a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.45 or better.

Houston Astros: 214-175 (-13.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 106-93 (-32.3 units) on the moneyline in home games. 134-107 (-11.8 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL team with an on base percentage .330 or worse. 85-55 UNDER vs. AL teams scoring 4.4 or less runs/game on the season.

Tampa Bay Rays:  J. DeLuca (CF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. T. Jankowski (RF) Ten Day IL - Groin. H. Kim (SS) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. H. Bigge (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Lat. S. McClanahan (SP) Sixty Day IL - Triceps. J. Mangum (RF) Ten Day IL - Groin. R. Palacios (LF) Ten Day IL - Knee. A. Faedo (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. K. Kelly (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Glute. N. Lavender (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Houston Astros:  C. Walker (1B) Day To Day - Hand. R. Blanco (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. H. Wesneski (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. Y. Alvarez (LF) Ten Day IL - Hand. S. Arrighetti (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Thumb. L. Garcia (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Javier (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Trammell (LF) Ten Day IL - Calf. P. Leon (RF) Ten Day IL - Knee. J. France (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

“He was pretty dominant today. He's really executing pitches at a very high level over his last handful of starts.” - Kevin Cash on Drew Rasmussen after his team’s win against the Twins in their game on Wednesday.

“He’s been around and he knows how important it is for him to get performances like this. I expect it from now on, to be that guy where he wants that leadership role back and he wants to be in a moment where we lean on him to get big outs for us. Him being able to do that, take us deep in the game was very important today.” - Joe Espada on Lance McCullers Jr after his team’s win against the Athletics in their game on Wednesday.

Josh Lowe (L) RF

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Kameron Misner (L) CF

Danny Jansen (R) C

Jeremy Peña (R) SS

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Jose Altuve (R) LF

Christian Walker (R) 1B

Victor Caratini (S) C

Jake Meyers (R) CF

Cam Smith (R) RF

Zach Dezenzo (R) DH

Brendan Rodgers (R) 2B

Batting Average:  Richie Palacios (.750)

Hits:  Jonathan Aranda (52)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (11)

RBI:  Jonathan Aranda (30)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (17)

Wins:  Shane Baz (4)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (10)

ERA:  Joe Boyle (0.00)

Batting Average:  Jeremy Peña (.297)

Hits:  Jeremy Peña (62)

Home Runs:  Isaac Paredes (11)

RBI:  Isaac Paredes (32)

Stolen Bases:  Jake Meyers (8)

Wins:  Hunter Brown (7)

Saves:  Josh Hader (14)

ERA:  Shawn Dubin (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (11th season)

Houston Astros: Joe Espada (2nd season)