Both playoff series continue Friday with the Rays and Braves looking to advance to the World Series. It could be our last night with two games of the season, so let’s try to take advantage of the added wagering opportunities with a couple of options to consider.
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Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros
Under 8 Runs (-117)
After winning the first three games of the series, the Rays now find themselves needing a win Friday to avoid a Game 7. They went with a bullpen effort in Game 5 and their bullpen certainly stepped up with four pitchers combining to allow four runs. The problem was that their offense was held in check by an Astros team that also went the route of using their bullpen as opposed to a traditional starting pitcher. Both teams combined to score seven runs, marking the fifth-straight game of the series that these two teams have combined for seven or fewer runs.
Expect another low-scoring affair Friday with Blake Snell starting for the Rays and Framber Valdez starting for the Astros. Snell has a 3.51 FIP for his career and has missed plenty of bats along the way with his 28.3% strikeout rate. Valdez emerged as an important part of the Astros’ rotation by recording a 2.85 FIP this season and has allowed a total of four runs across his three playoff starts. These two were the starters for Game 1, which turned out to be a 2-1 win for the Rays.
Brandon Lowe Under 0.5 Total Runs Scored (-175)
Lowe went deep in Game 5, but that was only his second hit of the ALCS. He went hitless in the previous series against the Yankees and went just 2-for-8 in the Wild Card round against the Blue Jays; so to say that he’s struggling right now would be an understatement. With him being on base so infrequently, he’s only scored two total runs in the playoffs. That’s rough considering he usually bats in the top-third of the Rays’ lineup.
As encouraging as it was to see him hit a home run Thursday, this doesn’t have the makings of a matchup for him to thrive. For his career, he has a .315 OBP and a 37.7% strikeout rate against left-handed pitchers. Valdez has been excellent at shutting down left-handed hitters this season, holding them to a .274 wOBA while recording a 32.5% strikeout rate. These odds aren’t mouth-watering, but this still has the makings of a profitable wager.
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