Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays MLB Picks, Odds, Predictions 9/30/21

The Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros meet Thursday in MLB action at Minute Maid Park. The Rays look for a win after winning five of their last six games. The Astros need a win after losing five of their last six games.

The Tampa Bay Rays have scored 13 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in five of their last eight games. The Rays have won seven straight games when scoring four or more runs. Randy Arozarena leads the Rays with 140 hits and 69 RBI while Brandon Lowe and Joey Wendle have combined for 249 hits and 144 RBI. The Tampa Bay Rays didn’t list a starting pitcher at the time this article was published.

The Houston Astros have scored seven runs in their last three games and four or more runs in five of their last 10 games. The Astros have won five straight games when scoring four or more runs. Yuli Gurriel leads the Astros with 164 hits and 79 RBI while Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa have combined for 312 hits and 170 RBI. Lance McCullers Jr. gets the ball, and he is 12-5 with a 3.17 ERA and 181 strikeouts this season. McCullers is 2-2 with a 2.77 ERA and 33 strikeouts in his career against the Rays.

The Rays are 6-1 in their last 7 Thursday games and 41-19 in their last 60 during game 3 of a series. The Astros are 4-1 in their last 5 during game 3 of a series and 15-6 in their last 21 Thursday games. The under is 5-1 in Rays last 6 overall. The under is 4-1 in Astros last 5 overall. The Rays are 1-6 in the last 7 meetings in Houston.

The Tampa Bay Rays don’t have anything to play for after clinching the best record in the AL last night, and it’s tough to back them without knowing which pitcher is on the mound. The Houston Astros are still trying to clinch a division title and I don’t expect these losses to continue to pile up. McCullers has been consistent all year with a 3.17 ERA. Give me the Astros, and the RL for max betting value.