Tampa Bay at Houston

Tampa Bay heads out on the road to open the playoffs with an offense that is #18 in runs scored, and #15 in slugging. The Rays are 32-66 on the road against a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Houston is a powerhouse all-around, at third in runs scored, and in on-base percentage and slugging, while the pitching staff is third with a 3.66 team ERA. They've outscored opponents by +280 runs - tops in baseball. Ace Justin Verlander (21-6, 2.58 ERA) won both starts against the Rays this season, allowing one run and seven hits over 12+ innings. Houston is on a 38-13 run at home, 45-11 in Game 1 of a series, and 37-16 when Verlander starts, including 20-7 when he's working on five days of rest. Play Houston as a Max Play today.