<p>
The Tampa Bay Rays staved off elimination with a Game 3 win over the Astros Monday afternoon, and hope to do so again when the teams meet for Game 4 of this American League divisional-round playoff series Tuesday night at the Trop. But the Rays are huge betting underdogs for Tuesday, going against one of Houston's pitching aces. How are we playing this game with our free MLB pick?
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<h2>
MLB Betting Odds<br />
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<p>
MLB betting odds opened Houston at around -240 for this Game 4 over Tampa Bay, with an over/under of 7.5 runs. Both those figures were holding steady in the early betting action.
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<p>
The Astros could also be found at around -145, giving the run and a half on the MLB run line.
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<h2>
Astros vs. Rays Game 4 Set-Up<br />
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<p>
Houston took the opener of this ALDS last Friday 6-2, then won Game 2 Saturday 3-1, but Tampa stayed alive with a 10-3 romp Monday. The Rays spotted the Astros the first run of the game, then scored three in the bottom of the second inning, one in the third and four in the fourth to take control, on their way to victory and the cash as +105 underdogs.
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<p>
Tampa rapped out a dozen base hits Monday, including four home runs.
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<p>
Going back into the regular season, Houston is 14-3 over its last 17 games, while the Rays are 2-4 over their previous six.
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The Astros finished 11 games ahead of Tampa in the American League standings, but the Rays took the regular-season series from the Astros four games to three.
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<h2>
Game 4 Starting Arms<br />
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<p>
Castillo is 0/6 on quality starts this season, pitching as an "opener" to go along with 59 appearances in relief. Saturday, he threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in Game 2 of this series, although Tampa lost that game 3-1. And over his last six appearances, he's allowed just one run and five hits through 7 1/3 innings, with seven strikeouts against two walks.
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<p>
The Rays are 4-2 in games Castillo started this season.
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Over four appearances against Houston, this season, Castillo allowed two earned runs and six hits through 5 2/3 innings.
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Verlander, by our strict standards, is 25/35 on quality starts this season and three for his last four. Last Friday, in the opener of this series, Verlander tossed seven innings of one-hit, shutout ball in that 6-2 Houston victory. And over his last four starts, he's allowed just five runs and 15 hits through 24 innings, with 33 strikeouts.
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On the season, the Astros are 25-10 with Verlander, 7-1 over his last eight starts.
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Over three starts against Tampa, this season, Verlander allowed just one run and eight hits through 19 1/3 innings. Houston won all three of those games.
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<h2>
Game 4 Batting Splits<br />
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<p>
Houston batted .274/.349/.492 against right-handed pitching this season. Numbers like those are why we rank this lineup as the best in Baseball in this split.
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Tampa batted .253/.325/.436 against RH pitching this season.
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<h3>
The Bullpens<br />
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The Astros bullpen put up a 3.75 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP this year while holding foes to a .694 OPS.
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The Rays bullpen posted a Major League-low 3.66 ERA this season and a 1.20 WHIP, while also holding opponents to a .694 OPS.
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We rank both these bullpens among the top three or four in Baseball.
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<h2>
MLB Betting Trends<br />
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<ul>
<li>
Houston played 47-34 on the road this season.
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Houston played 68-44 against right-handed starters this season.
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Tampa played 48-33 at home this season.
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Tampa Bay played 62-41 against RH starters this season.
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<h3>
Totals Report<br />
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<li>
Overs played 77-75 in Rays games this season.
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Unders played 84-71 in Astros games this season.
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Overs played 39-34 in games played at Tropicana Field this season.
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Overs are 2-1 in this ALDS.
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Unders played 22-12 with Verlander this season.
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<p><section></p>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-size:16px;"><b><span style="color:#008000;">Get more details:</span></b> <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/mlb/matchup/1196744">Astros at Rays MLB Match-up Stats</a> </span>
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</ul>
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