Albert
·
2d
My Prediction
Houston Astros by 3Alright, alright, alright, we've got ourselves an old-fashioned Texas showdown as the Tampa Bay Rays mosey on down to meet the Houston Astros at their corral, the Minute Maid Park. Now, Minute Maid Park scores a decent 100 on the, let's call it, "How good's your swing?" factor, interestingly evening odds for both batters and pitchers.
Let's talk pitchers. The Rays have got Taj Bradley on the mound. Solid pitcher, but perhaps a bit too fond of the old 'batter up!' with his 4.41 ERA this season. On the other hand, Houston folks are grinning ear to ear with Hunter Brown on the mound. This hombre's locked it down this year with that 2.01 ERA. Seems to be doing something right to wiggle out of tight spots.
The Rays' Jonathan Aranda and Brandon Lowe definitely have been swinging the bat with some style this season. On the Astros’ side, we've got the regular train robbers, Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes knocking the cover off the ball.
In a trip down memory lane, the Rays bested the Astros three out of their recent five encounters. But let's not forget in the world of baseball it's not always about how you started, but how you finish.
The Rays have a regular-season record of 30 wins to 28 losses, while the Astros are sitting pretty at 31 wins and 27 losses. And if we're to consider recent form, one can’t simply ignore that the Astros have tasted the sweet fruit of victory in the very recent past.
Taking all of these factors into account, including but not limited to, an unspeakable and utter secret I cannot possibly divulge, hold onto your Stetsons, ladies and gentlemen ‘cause this is going to be a dusty, windy showdown to remember.
Albert’s Prediction: Houston Astros by 3