Houston Astros (62-55, first in the AL West) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (59-58, fourth in the AL East)
St. Petersburg, Florida; Monday, 6:50 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Framber Valdez (11-5, 3.46 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 113 strikeouts); Rays: Taj Bradley (6-6, 3.07 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 106 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Astros -121, Rays +102; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros aim to keep their five-game win streak going when they visit the Tampa Bay Rays.
Tampa Bay is 31-31 at home and 59-58 overall. The Rays have a 17-7 record in games when they hit two or more home runs.
Houston has a 30-29 record in road games and a 62-55 record overall. The Astros are 27-12 in games when they did not allow a home run.
The teams meet Monday for the fourth time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Yandy Diaz has 23 doubles, a triple and 10 home runs while hitting .271 for the Rays. Brandon Lowe is 10-for-42 with three doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games.
Yordan Alvarez leads the Astros with 54 extra base hits (27 doubles, two triples and 25 home runs). Alex Bregman is 15-for-43 with four doubles, three home runs and six RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rays: 4-6, .228 batting average, 3.52 ERA, outscored by five runs
Astros: 7-3, .257 batting average, 3.09 ERA, outscored opponents by 12 runs
INJURIES: Rays: Richard Palacios: 10-Day IL (knee), Ryan Pepiot: 15-Day IL (knee), Jacob Waguespack: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Shane McClanahan: 60-Day IL (forearm)
Astros: Kyle Tucker: 60-Day IL (shin), Justin Verlander: 15-Day IL (neck), Cristian Javier: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (forearm), Oliver Ortega: 60-Day IL (elbow), Bennett Sousa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Penn Murfee: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kendall Graveman: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
