Baseball betting stays focused on inter-league play on Friday as the Rays of Tampa Bay swing away against the Astros of Houston.

Houston hands the ball to starter Wandy Rodriguez in this one and he'll try to improve on his 5-3 mark on the year. Tampa Bay counters with James Shields, who will try to quiet the fans and the Astros bats at the same time.



View Tampa Bay vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with the Astros in this one will find them as +115 underdogs on the MLB money line. Betting the over under instead? It was hovering near 7 at its open earlier today.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the National League No. 14-ranked Astros and the American League No. 9-rated Rays in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
At the plate, Houston owns the No. 4 ranking for hits in the National League at 9 per game. By contrast, the Rays are rated No. 12 in the same category at 8.1 per game.

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Houston has the National League's No. 15-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Rays own the American League's No. 3 mark in runs allowed.

In their last action, Tampa Bay was a 6-3 Sportsbook on the road against the Brewers. Bettors on Tampa Bay at -113 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (9) sent OVER bettors home happy as well. David Price fanned 10 Milwaukee batters in the team's last outing, leading the Rays to a 6-3 victory over the Brewers at Miller Park.

Houston won its last outing, a 5-3 result against the Rangers on June 22. Bettors who backed the Astros at +175 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (8) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Houston looks to continue its winning ways following a victory last time out against the Rangers, a 5-3 final on Wednesday in support of Brett Myers at Rangers Ballpark.


Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 8-2
Before playing Houston are 4-5
After playing Milwaukee are 2-3
After a win are 6-4

Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Tampa Bay are 5-4
After playing Texas are 3-7
After a win are 4-6

A few Rays at Astros trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games when playing Houston
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston's last 8 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Houston's last 8 games at home
Houston is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Tampa Bay


Next up:
Tampa Bay at Houston, Saturday, June 25