Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays MLB Betting Preview | September 30

The Houston Astros (102-54) and the Tampa Bay Rays (85-71) square off for the first of a three-game series on Friday at Minute Maid Park, beginning at 8:10 PM ET. The favored Astros (-145) are coming off of a 1-1 series split with the Diamondbacks, and the underdog Rays (+125) enter the matchup following a 1-2 series loss to the Guardians. Houston’s Framber Valdez gets the start against Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen.

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Game Info, Betting Lines for Astros vs. Rays

• Game Day: Friday, September 30, 2022
• Game Time: 8:10 PM ET
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stadium: Minute Maid Park

Astros Stats & Trends

Astros Batting

• The Astros average 1.3 home runs per game to rank fourth in MLB play with 208 total home runs.
• The Astros have the 13th-ranked batting average in the majors (.246).
• The Astros’ .319 on-base percentage is seventh-best in baseball.
• The Astros strike out 7.3 times per game, the second-fewest average in baseball.
• The Astros have hit 110 homers at home this season (1.5 per game).
• The Astros have a .447 slugging percentage and are averaging 3.2 extra-base hits per game at home.
• The club averages 8.2 hits per game and is batting .255 at home this season.

Astros Key Batters

• Yordan Alvarez leads Houston in OBP (.407) and total hits (136) this season.
• Among qualifying hitters in the majors, Alvarez’s batting average ranks eighth, his on-base percentage ranks second, and he is second in slugging.
• Alvarez will look for his fifth straight game with a hit in this matchup. In his last five games he is hitting .357 with four walks and two RBI.
• Alex Bregman has 38 doubles, 22 home runs and 85 walks while hitting .262.
• Among qualifying batters, Bregman’s batting average places him 58th, his on-base percentage 16th, and his slugging percentage 41st.
• Jose Altuve leads Houston in slugging percentage (.528) powered by 63 extra-base hits.
• Kyle Tucker has 29 home runs, 104 RBI and a batting average of .262 this season.
• Tucker heads into this matchup on a two-game hitting streak. In his last five games he is hitting .278 with a double, three walks and two RBI.

Rays Stats & Trends

Rays Batting

• The Rays rank 25th in Major League Baseball with 134 home runs.
• The Rays have a team batting average of .241 this season, which ranks 16th among MLB teams.
• The Rays have an on-base percentage of .309 this season, which ranks 20th in the league.
• The Rays rank 20th in strikeouts per game (8.6) among MLB offenses.
• In 75 games on the road this season, they’ve hit 63 homers, an average of 0.8 per contest.
• In 75 road games this season, they’re slugging .370 with 208 hits going for extra bases.
• In 75 road games this season, they have a batting average of .240 while averaging 8.4 base hits per contest.

Rays Key Batters

• Yandy Diaz has a team-high .398 on-base percentage.
• Including all the qualifying hitters in the majors, Diaz’s batting average is 17th, his on-base percentage ranks sixth, and he is 75th in slugging.
• Randy Arozarena’s 152 hits and .451 slugging percentage are both team-highs.
• Arozarena’s batting average is 47th among all qualified players, his on-base percentage is 64th, and he is 48th in slugging.
• Harold Ramirez is batting .308 with 24 doubles, six home runs and 19 walks.
• Isaac Paredes is hitting .214 with 16 doubles, 20 home runs and 40 walks.

Astros vs. Rays Probable Pitchers