Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/02/2022

Game Time: 2:10 pm ET, Sunday, October 2, 2022

Venue:  Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  Sportsnet SW

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +135, Astros -155; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +135, Astros -155; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +135, Astros -155; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

 

Tampa Bay Rays:  86-71 (3rd place, AL East)

Houston Astros:  102-55 (1st place, AL West)

 

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Tampa Bay Rays:  4-6 last 10

Houston Astros:  6-4 last 10

 

 

 

 

The Rays were on a 2 game losing streak but now enter this game off of a win. They lost their last series against the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 in a 3-game series. They enter this game with a 86-71 record overall and have a road record of 35-41. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Astros on Sunday with the 2nd game still to be played on Saturday. Their offense ranks 21st in the MLB with a .689 OPS. Shane McClanahan is their starting pitcher on Saturday while Corey Kluber is making his start in this game on Sunday. He is 10-9 with a 4.36 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last start, he allowed 3 ER, 0 HRs, and 1 BB with 5 Ks on 8 hits through 4 IP against the Cleveland Guardians.

 

The Astros enter this game on a 2 game losing streak. They split their last series against the Arizona Diamondbacks 1-1 in a 2-game series. They enter this game with a 102-55 record overall and have a home record of 51-25. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Sunday with the 2nd game still to be played on Saturday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .742 OPS. Cristian Javier is their starting pitcher on Saturday while Luis Garcia is making his start in this game on Sunday. He is 14-8 with a 3.81 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 0 BB with 6 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings played against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Astros just swept the rays in a series last week so the Rays will be looking for some revenge in this series. The Astros have already locked up their division but they also have the best record in the AL, clinching home field advantage in the playoffs too. They have a very deep team and will be looking to rest some players as they look ahead to the playoffs here. The Rays have already locked up a playoff spot too but they can still catch the Blue Jays ahead of them and play for seeding so the Rays have a few different motivators here to win this game. The Rays haven't been bad lately either and the Astros may be overlooking them in this game. Both of these teams have great pitching staffs and the Astros have relied more on their pitching at home this year as their bats haven't been hitting as well at home. The Rays will come for their revenge here and the bats should wake up as they look to get hot for the playoffs. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game.

 

Rays Astros Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Sunday, October 2, 2022 (2:10 pm ET start time) is Rays 3 Astros 1.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 35-41 (-10.2 Units) ML in road games. 64-56 (-5.3 Units) ML against right-handed starters. 38-30 UNDER against AL West opponents.

Houston Astros: 102-55 (+16 Units) ML in all games. 91-42 (+15.7 Units) ML as a favorite of -110 or higher. 19-8 UNDER against AL East opponents.

 

 

Tampa Bay Rays:  K. Kiermaier (CF) out for season - Hip. M. Zunino (C) out for season - Shoulder. B. Lowe (2B) out for season - Back.

Houston Astros:  L. McCullers Jr. (SP) day-to-day - Illness. J. James (RP) out for season - Back. M. Brantley (LF) out for season - Shoulder. J. Castro (C) out for season - Knee.

 

 

 

"They've withstood some bad news and some bad performances, but they've come out on top with some really good performances to stay afloat here. It feels like right now, we're coming into our own a little bit. These guys are still young, and we're getting a taste of some really cool stuff." - Kevin Cash after his team’s win against the Astros on Friday.

 

 

"He didn't have his breaking ball tonight too much. He actually threw more fastballs than he threw breaking balls. No, I don't have any concerns for Framber. Framber is fine." - Dusty Baker after his team’s loss against the Rays on Friday.

 

 

 

Yandy Diaz (R) DH

Randy Arozarena (R) LF

Wander Franco (S) SS

Harold Ramirez (R) 1B

Manuel Margot (R) RF

Francisco Mejia (S) C

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Jose Siri (R) CF

Taylor Walls (S) 2B

 

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Trey Mancini (R) LF

Yuli Gurriel (R) 1B

Jeremy Pena (R) SS

Christian Vazquez (R) C

Chas McCormick (R) CF

 

 

Batting Average:  Harold Ramirez (.309)

Hits:  Randy Arozarena (153)

Home Runs:  Randy Arozarena (20)

RBI:  Randy Arozarena (89)

Stolen Bases:  Randy Arozarena (32)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (12)

Saves:  Jason Adam (8)

ERA:  J.P. Feyereisen (0.00)

 

Batting Average:  Yordan Alvarez (.305)

Hits:  Jose Altuve (152)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (37)

RBI:  Kyle Tucker (104)

Stolen Bases:  Kyle Tucker (25)

Wins:  Justin Verlander (17)

Saves:  Ryan Pressly (31)

ERA:  Hunter Brown (1.06)

 

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (8th season)

Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (3rd season)