Baseball bettors look for value at Minute Maid Park on Thursday as host Houston battles the Tampa Bay Rays in baseball odds action.

Tampa Bay puts its faith in starter Chris Archer to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 2-3. Getting the ball for the Astros is Jordan Lyles, who owns a 4-3 record on the season with a 3.99 ERA.



View Tampa Bay vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had set the Astros as +140 underdogs on the moneyline for this contest. The over under was hovering near 9 for bettors hoping to turn a profit on totals at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Astros rated this week at No. 15 and the Rays sitting at No. 5.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Houston's No. 14-rated American League offense, averaging 3.7 runs per game, against a Rays defense that ranks No. 7 in the American League at 4.3 in runs allowed per game. The Astros have averaged 7.8 hits per game so far, less than Rays batters have averaged on the year (8.9 hits per game).

Defensively, Tampa Bay features the American League's No. 7-rated defense on the road, allowing 4.2 runs per game. Houston, meanwhile, comes in at No. 14 in the American League at home, scoring 3.6 runs per game.

Last time out for Tampa Bay, they were a 4-1 loser as they battled the Astros on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Astros at +148 were rewarded, while the 5 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Tampa Bay suffered a 4-1 loss against Houston on Wednesday, as Fausto Carmona wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Minute Maid Park.




Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Chi White Sox are 5-5
After playing Houston are 6-4
After a loss are 4-6

Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 2-8
Before playing Texas are 3-7
After playing Tampa Bay are 3-7
After a win are 3-7

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


Next up:
Tampa Bay home to Chi White Sox, Friday, July 5
Houston at Texas, Friday, July 5