Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 8/2/24, 12:40 PM  by Carlos Zabala | Modified on 8/2/24 at 1:05 PM in MLB Picks

The experienced Kikuchi will make his debut this Friday with the Astros jersey when he starts Friday's game against the Rays. With the Blue Jays, despite the 4-9 record and 4.75 ERA, the Japanese has a ratio of 10.1 strikeouts per 9 innings in 2024. He will face the Rays at Minute Maid Park, against whom Kikuchi has a career record of 5-2 with a 3.72 ERA in 10 appearances and 9 starts.

The Rays positioned themselves as sellers before the trade deadline. They have a record of 55-53 and are 4.5 games away from the last AL wild card that the Twins hold. In the trades, the Rays acquired Morel from the Cubs, and he has had an immediate impact on the lineup. In the loss against the Marlins on Wednesday, Morel hit a HR for the second consecutive game. Regarding that, manager Cash said "Two homers in two days; you're not going to do much better than that."

The Astros won the last game 5-4 against the Pirates, but would have been swept at home if not for the errors of the Pirates' SS, Cruz. The starting pitching has lost its dominance recently, as it has a 5.09 ERA in the last 10 games and allows an average of 1 HR per game.