The Rays beat the Astros 3-2 in a regular-season MLB match on Friday evening. The result means the hosts have now won two of their last five games, while the visitors have taken just one victory from the same run.
Our prediction on this fixture backed the away side at 51 per cent confidence. We were wrong, as the home team held their nerve to take all three points.
The Rays came into this game off a 3-1 win over the Astros in their previous meeting. Before that they had lost 1-3 to the Braves, but won 7-2 and 7-1 in the two fixtures before that. The visitors were 2-1 up against the Phillies on Wednesday after dropping 7-11 the day before.
Both sides have been involved in high-scoring affairs recently. The Astros lost 6-5 to the Phillies on Monday and 2-3 to the Diamondbacks on Saturday, while the Rays fell 6-8 to the Rangers on their most recent outing before the three-game swing against Houston.
The final score reflects a tight contest where neither team pulled clear. The hosts needed the points badly and got them, but the margin tells you this was not a dominant display from either side.