HOUSTON ASTROS @ TAMPA BAY RAYS – 3:50PM
The Astros take on the Rays this afternoon in the second game of their three game series after defeating them last night 6-1. The Astros quietly have been on a hot streak in the last week winning six straight games with five of those wins being by 2 runs or more. They have outscored their opponents over this stretch by a margin of 39 runs to 17. You do not want to bet against the Astros hitters right now they are hot. The Astros are also narrowly holding on to the lead in the American League West Division by half a game over the Seattle Mariners so you know the urgency to win today will be there. On the other side of this matchup the Rays are not completely out of the wild card picture as they are 5.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals for the final wild card spot but their chances of overtaking them are not looking great. They are 1-3 over their last 4 games and have Shane Baz pitching for them today who pitched in their loss to the Astros back on August 2nd. The Rays have lost 2 out of the last 3 games Baz has started and Baz has thrown for 14 hits and given up 8 runs over that stretch. The Astros will be starting Yusei Kikuchi and they have not lost a game yet in the two starts he has had since joining the team after being traded by the Blue Jays last month. Astros batter props are good to look at playing in this game as guys like Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman have 9 or more hits over the last seven days and will be in a position to rack up more today. Bottom line you can count on the Astros to continue the streak and get another win today.
The Pick: Astros Moneyline
COLORADO ROCKIES @ ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS – 6:40PM
The Rockies take on the Dbacks tonight in game 2 of their series after blowing a 4-1 lead and losing the game 5-4. The Diamondbacks showed the world again why they are the hottest team in baseball with their 13th comeback win since July 1st which leads the majors. The Dbacks are now 23-13 in one run games which is also best in MLB. The four unanswered runs from the Dbacks in the 6th and 7th inning was special to watch and don’t forget they managed to win without some of their best hitters in the lineup. Ketel Marte re injured his ankle in his first bat attempt and had to leave the game (thanks Garrett Stubbs), Lourdes Gurriel had the night off giving his hamstring a rest, Christian Walker was out as he continues to heal from a strained oblique, AND Gabby Moreno is still on the injured list with a left abductor strain. The quality at bats the Dbacks are getting from guys like Kevin Newman, Josh Bell, and Jake McCarthy are building a case for this team to be serious contenders in the postseason as the Dbacks currently sport a 9-2 record now in August. Looking at the game tonight the Rockies will be starting Austin Gomber while the Dbacks will be going with Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound. The Rockies have lost in 2 out of Gomber’s last 3 starts with Gomber giving up 17 hits, 10 runs, and 5 homeruns over that stretch. Meanwhile we have a limited sample size with Rodriguez as he has only started one game so far this year coming back from an injury but the Dbacks did win in his start against the Guardians last week. The Dbacks bullpen was also solid against the Rockies last night giving up only a hit and no runs in 2 innings. The Dbacks appear to be giving Joc Pederson a break tonight but Lourdes Gurriel and Randall Grichuk are set to rejoin the lineup to balance things out. Plays on Dbacks batter props or even the run line are good to look at in this matchup as it’s likely Gomber will continue to give up more home runs and big hits tonight based on his last few outings and with how well the Dbacks have been hitting lately. Look for the Dbacks to continue to roll in this series and get another win tonight at home.
The Pick: Diamondbacks Moneyline
OTHER BETS TO CONSIDER
Jake McCarthy 1+ RBI’s
Lourdes Gurriel 1+ RBI’s
Alex Bregman 1+ RBI’s
Astros -1.5 Runline
Diamondbacks -1.5 Runline
Padres Moneyline
Yankees Moneyline
Tarik Skubal OVER 7.5 Strikeouts
Jose Altuve 2+ Hits
Jake McCarthy 2+ Hits
LONG SHOT PARLAY
3 Legs +4531 Odds
Tarik Skubal 9+ Strikeouts
Jake McCarthy 2+ RBI’s
Houston Astros OVER 4.5 Total Runs
A $5 wager pays $226.55