Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction 8-2-24 MLB Picks

In this article, we will formulate a Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction for this MLB Game on Friday, August 2nd, at Minute Maid Park. 

Astros End Losing Streak

The Astros had lost three Games in a row heading into the last Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but they were able to secure the 5-4 victory. At the end of the second inning, they were down 4-1, but they fought back and ended up winning by a run. Mauricio Dubon hit a home run and drove in two RBIs. Framber Valdez went six innings, giving up six hits and four runs. The Astros are averaging 4.0 runs, while their pitching is giving up 4.44 runs per Game.

The offense is ranked 27th in the league, while the pitching is ranked 18th. Yordan Alvarez has hit 20 home runs and driven in 55 RBIs so far this year. Getting the start for the Astros will be Yusei Kikuchi who sits with a 4-9 record and an ERA of 4.75. This will be his first start with the Astros. In his last start against the Texas Rangers he went 4.2 innings giving up eight hits and five runs. 

Can Rays Make a Run?

The Rays are on the outside of the playoff race right now, and if they want to make the playoffs, they are going to need to figure it out quickly. The Rays scored only two runs against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, and they ended up losing 6-2. Christopher Morel hit a home run. Taj Bradley wasn’t good enough, and he went five innings, giving up four hits and four runs. Edwin Eceta also was awful, giving up four hits and two runs in two innings. The bullpen needs to be better. The Rays are averaging 4.0 runs, while their pitching is giving up 4.44 runs per Game.

The offense is ranked 27th in the league, while the pitching is ranked 18th. Jose Siri has hit 14 home runs and driven in 37 RBIs. Getting the start for the Rays will be Shane Baz, who sits with a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 3.66. In his last start against the Cincinnati Reds he went six innings giving up two hits and two runs. 

Why the Rays Will Beat the Astros

• The Rays have won each of their last seven games following a home loss.
• The Astros have lost four of their last five night games against AL East opponents following a win.
• The Rays have covered the run line in 14 of their last 15 games following a loss.
• The Astros have failed to cover the run line in each of their last five games.

Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction

I don’t think the Rays are going to make a run to the playoffs, but they are going to find enough success here to win this Game. Kikuchi was a sought after trade prospect, but he is someone who has been inconsistent, and he’s going to really struggle here. In his last start against the Texas Rangers, he gave up eight hits and five runs, and that is going to be the difference here. The Rays are going to have no issue running up the score here, and Tampa Bay will get the job done here.