The Houston Astros (56-52) will host the Tampa Bay Rays (55-53), Friday at 8:10 PM ET, in the first of a three-Game series.
The Rays (+133 underdog moneyline odds to win) are away versus the Astros (-159). The Houston Astros will give the start to Yusei Kikuchi (4-9, 4.75 ERA), who is looking for win No. 5 on the season, and the Rays will turn to Shane Baz (0-1, 3.66 ERA).
The Astros won 5-4 over the Pirates Friday in their last Game. Mauricio Dubon went 1-for-1 with a home run and two RBI to lead them offensively while Framber Valdez was picked up the victory after throwing six innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits while striking out 10.
The Rays lost to the Marlins Friday, with Taj Bradley registering the loss while throwing five innings, giving up four earned runs on four hits while striking out six. Jonny Deluca went 2-for-4 with two triples and an RBI to pace the Rays’ offense.
Ahead of this Astros vs. Rays showdown, here is everything you need to prepare for Friday’s MLB action, including viewing options.
Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays odds and betting lines
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Friday at 9:16 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Favorite: Astros (-159, bet $159 to win $100)
- Underdog: Rays (+133, bet $100 to win $133)
- Over/under: 8
Astros vs. Rays: Live streaming info & game time
- Game Day: Friday, August 2, 2024
- Game Time: 8:10 PM ET
- Stadium: Minute Maid Park
- TV Channel: Bally Sports
- Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)
Astros stats and trends
Astros betting records
- The Astros have been favorites in 78 games this season and won 42 (53.8%) of those contests.
- Houston has entered 31 games this season favored by -159 or more and is 23-8 in those contests.
- The sportsbooks’ moneyline implies a 61.4% chance of a victory for the Astros.
- Houston’s games have gone over the total in 44 of its 108 chances.
- The Astros have an ATS record of 52-55-0 in 107 games with a spread this season.
Yusei Kikuchi (Astros probable starter)
- The Astros are sending Kikuchi (4-9) out for his 23rd start of the season. He is 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA and 130 strikeouts through 115 2/3 innings pitched.
- His most recent appearance came for the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday when the left-hander tossed 4 2/3 innings against the Texas Rangers, surrendering five earned runs while giving up eight hits.
- In 22 games this season, the 33-year-old has an ERA of 4.75, with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .272 against him.
- Kikuchi has registered eight quality starts this year.
- Kikuchi has put together 15 starts this campaign in which he pitched five or more innings.
- He has had two appearances this season in which he kept his opponents to zero earned runs.
- He will face off against a Rays squad that is hitting .234 as a unit (23rd in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .375 (25th in MLB) with 102 total home runs (26th in MLB).
- In 4 1/3 innings over one appearance against the Rays this season, Kikuchi has a 6.23 ERA and a 2.077 WHIP while his opponents are hitting .316.
- The 33-year-old ranks 62nd in ERA (4.75), 56th in WHIP (1.340), and 12th in K/9 (10.1) among qualifying pitchers in MLB action this season.
Astros batting stats
- The Astros rank 11th in Major League Baseball with 123 home runs.
- Hitters for Houston have a combined .417 slugging percentage this season, which ranks ninth in MLB.
- The Astros have a team batting average of .261 this season, which ranks second among MLB teams.
- Houston has scored 502 runs (4.6 per game) this season, which ranks 12th in MLB.
- The Astros are among the best in the league at getting on base, ranking 10th with an OBP of .320.
- Houston has shown patience at the plate this season with the third-best rate of strikeouts per game (7.1) among MLB offenses.
Rays stats and trends
Rays betting records
- The Rays have won in 23, or 48.9%, of the 47 contests they have been named as odds-on underdogs this year.
- This season, Tampa Bay has been victorious four times in 10 chances when named as an underdog of at least +133 or worse on the moneyline.
- The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Rays have a 42.9% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.
- Tampa Bay and its opponents have hit the over in 53 of its 108 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
- In 107 games with a line this season, the Rays have a mark of 57-50-0 against the spread.
Shane Baz (Rays probable starter)
- Baz makes the start for the Rays, his fifth of the season. He is 0-1 with a 3.66 ERA and 19 strikeouts through 19 2/3 innings pitched.
- The right-hander’s most recent appearance was on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds, when he threw six innings, surrendering two earned runs while giving up two hits.
- The 25-year-old has put up an ERA of 3.66, with 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings in four games this season. Opponents are batting .250 against him.
- Baz is looking to record his third quality start of the year in this outing.
- Baz has put together two starts this season that he pitched five or more innings.
- In one of his appearances this season he has not surrender an earned run.
- The opposing Astros offense has the ninth-ranked slugging percentage (.417) and ranks 11th in home runs hit (123) in all of MLB. They have a collective .261 batting average, and are third in the league with 966 total hits and 12th in MLB play scoring 502 runs.
Rays batting stats
- The Rays are fifth-worst in MLB action with 102 home runs.
- This season, Tampa Bay’s .375 slugging percentage is 25th in the majors.
- The Rays have the 23rd-ranked batting average in the majors (.234).
- Tampa Bay is the fourth-lowest scoring team in MLB play averaging 4.0 runs per game (432 total).
- The Rays’ .312 on-base percentage ranks 13th in the majors.
