The Tampa Bay Rays improved to 6-2 this postseason with their 2-1 win over the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday night. The Rays will try to take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Astros with another win Monday night in San Diego.
- Date/Time: October 12, 7:07 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Petco Park
- TV Coverage: TBS
- Sportsbook Odds: Rays -125 | O/U 8.5 (Line History)
- Astros vs Rays Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Early action has slightly favored the Rays, pushing Tampa Bay up to a -130 favorite while the Astros are now going off as +120 underdogs. The total has also moved slightly from its opener at 8.5 runs down to 8 runs. The Rays are a perfect 7-0 in their last seven games as a betting favorite.
Starting Pitchers Analysis
Lance McCullers Jr. finished the regular season with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP after not allowing an earned run in his last three regular-season starts. His momentum in September did not carry over into his first start of the postseason as he gave up eight hits and five runs in Houston’s 10-5 Game 1 win over the Oakland Athletics.
Charlie Morton held the Yankees in check for five innings last Wednesday as he gave up only four hits and one earned run in Tampa Bay’s 8-4 win over New York in Game 3 of their ALDS. Morton is 3-0 with a 1.20 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP in three career postseason starts for the Rays.
Houston News & Notes
Houston tore through the Oakland Athletics and their pitching staff with 8.25 runs per game. When Jose Altuve hit a solo home run in the first inning of Game 1 of the ALCS, it looked as though the Astros might be on their way to another offensive outburst against Tampa Bay. But that home run proved to be the only run the Astros would score as they failed to convert any of the 10 runners they left on base into runs.
In losing Game 1, the Astros did let a solid start from Framber Valdez go to waste. They will be counting on McCullers to return to regular-season form on Monday after his disappointing start against Oakland last week.
Tampa Bay News & Notes
Rookie designated hitter Randy Arozarena has been one of the breakout stars of the 2020 postseason. Arozarena made headlines again Sunday with a solo home run in the fourth inning that tied Game 1 up at 1-1, which gave the Rays the chance to take the lead with another run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The 25-year-old is batting .419 this postseason with nine runs, four home runs and five RBIs.
With a second straight postseason victory by a score of 2-1, the Rays continue to show off their impressive starting pitching and bullpen depth. Tampa Bay owns a team ERA of 3.30 this postseason despite playing in five games against one of the league’s most dangerous offensive teams in the New York Yankees.
Betting Pick: Tampa Bay -130
With Charlie Morton and the Rays bullpen in form, it’s tough to go against Tampa Bay in this spot, especially at such a reasonable price. Houston hasn’t shown too much bite as an underdog this season with a 6-14 record in 20 games as one.
- Houston is 5-5 over its last 10 games.
- Tampa Bay is 4-1 over its last 5 postseason games.
- The UNDER is 3-0 in Tampa Bay’s last 3 games.
