Rays vs Astros Best Bets and Expert Picks – Sunday July 05, 2026

Tampa Bay Rays

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Houston Astros

Tampa Bay Rays Insights

• Griffin Jax – Over/Under Pitching Outs
  Tallying 74.4 adjusted pitches per outing this year on average, Griffin Jax falls in the 5th percentile.
  Explain: Pitchers who average more pitches per game are more likely to go deeper into games and record more outs.
• Cedric Mullins – Over/Under Hits
  Cedric Mullins is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 76% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season.
  Explain: The higher in the order a player bats, the more plate appearances he will get and the more opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits higher in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting lower.
• Ryan Vilade – Over/Under Total Bases
  Today, Ryan Vilade is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 8th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 39.8% rate (97th percentile).
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Houston Astros Insights

• Peter Lambert – Over/Under Strikeouts
  Peter Lambert has a reverse platoon split and has the benefit of facing 6 opposite-handed hitters in this matchup.
  Explain: A pitcher with a reverse platoon split will perform better against opposite-handed hitters (i.e. a right-handed pitcher will be better against a left-handed hitter). Holding this advantage against several hitters can have a huge impact on whether a pitcher will perform well or struggle on any given day.
• Yordan Alvarez – Over/Under Total Bases
  Yordan Alvarez has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 94.4-mph to 100.2-mph in the last week.
  Explain: Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.
• Collectively, Houston Astros batters have not performed well when assessing hitting balls in the launch angle band that tends to optimize home runs (between 23° and 34°), placing 8th-worst in the majors.
  Explain: Balls that are hit too low can’t clear the fences, and balls that are hit too high generally don’t go far enough and are easy pop flies, but balls hit between 23° and 34° are far more likely to become home runs.

Betting Trends

• Houston Astros – Over/Under 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total
  The Houston Astros have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total Under in 7 of their last 10 games at home (+3.90 Units / 31% ROI)
• Tampa Bay Rays – 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline
  The Tampa Bay Rays have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline in 9 of their last 10 games (+9.00 Units / 62% ROI)