The Tampa Bay Rays go for a sweep of the Houston Astros in the AL Championship Series Wednesday at 8:40 p.m. ET at San Diego’s Petco Park (on TBS). As the top seed, Tampa Bay will be the visiting team in Game 4 – and Game 5 if necessary. Below, we analyze the Rays-Astros MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Best-of-seven series: Rays lead 3-0. They won 5-2 Tuesday thanks to a 5-run sixth inning and some phenomenal defense.
Rays vs. Astros: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Tyler Glasnow vs. RHP Zack Greinke
Glasnow went 5-1 with a 4.08 ERA (57 1/3 IP, 26 ER) and 91 K in 11 regular-season starts. This postseason, he is 2-0 with a 4.05 ERA (13 1/3 IP, 6 ER) and 20 K in 3 starts.
- Last start: No-decision (on two days’ rest), 2 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 2 K vs. Yankees in ALDS Game 5 Friday – Rays won 2-1
- Career vs. Astros in regular season: 1-0, 1.80 ERA (5 IP, 1 ER) in 1 start last year
- Career vs. Astros in playoffs: 0-2, 7.71 ERA (7 IP, 6 ER) in 2 starts – both in last year’s ALDS
- Career postseason: 2-2, 5.31 ERA (20 1/3 IP, 12 ER) in 5 starts
Greinke went 3-3 with a 4.03 ERA (67 IP, 30 ER) in 12 regular-season starts, while he’s 0-0 with a 5.19 ERA (8 2/3 IP, 5 ER) in 2 playoffs starts with Houston winning both games.
- Last start: No-decision, 4 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR vs. Oakland A’s in Game 4 of the ALDS last Thursday – Astros won 11-6
- Career vs. Rays in regular season: 4-6, 3.36 ERA (96 1/3 IP, 36 ER) in 14 starts and 3 relief appearances
- Career vs. Rays in playoffs: 0-1, 14.73 ERA (3 2/3 IP, 6 ER) 5 H, 3 HR, 1 BB, 5 K in 1 start – Game 3 of the 2019 ALDS
- Career postseason: 3-6, 4.29 ERA (100 2/3 IP, 48 ER) in 18 starts
Get some action on this game or any other matchup with an MLB bet at BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!
Rays vs. Astros: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 7:45 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Astros 5, Rays 2
Money line (ML)
I’m sticking with the ASTROS (+125) despite losing on them the last three games. And yes, I’m going with a STRONGEST PLAY again – 1½ times my usual wager. The Astros will not let their season end in a 4-game sweep.
New to sports betting? Every winning $1 bet on the Astros ML profits $1.25 Every $1.39 bet on the Rays ML (-139) profits $1 if they come out on top.
NOTE: One of the biggest mistakes a gambler makes is chasing when on a losing streak. This isn’t a blackjack or roulette table. Don’t double your bet, hoping to get your previous loss(es) back in one fell swoop. Bad streaks will happen. but doubling down is just bad gambling management.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
Rays -1.5 (+115) | Astros +1.5 (-139)
AVOID. I’m in a current skid, so I’m not going to push it. Let’s just focus on the Astros ML and the Under (below).
Over/Under (O/U)
The Under is 3-0 in this series. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the bats finally break out in Game 4, but I’m willing to stay on the “Under Train.” Just make it a small bet this time – half your usual wager.
Back the UNDER 8 (-115), but wait it out to see if it climbs to 8.5.
Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
| Johnny’s 2020 MLB record | 73-51-1 |
| 2020 MLB postseason / Strongest plays | 9-14 / 3-7 |
| 2020 overall record (all sports) | 115-85-3 |
| Strongest plays (all sports) | 57-34-1 |
Follow @JohnnyParlay11 on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]