Rays (Glasnow) vs Astros (Greinke) Game 4 Picks and Odds – Oct. 14
- The Tampa Bay Rays are -140 favorites to defeat the Houston Astros in Game 4 on Wednesday and sweep the ACLS
- Underdog Houston (+120) sends Zach Greinke to the mound to face Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow and Greinke hasn’t won a postseason game since 2015
- Read our Game 4 preview and best bet for Wednesday’s game below
A win away from booking passage to the World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays are sending Tyler Glasnow to the mound for Game 4 of the ALCS. It was Glasnow who started Tampa Bay’s ALDS-clinching win over the New York Yankees.
Seeking to stave off elimination in a four-game sweep, the Houston Astros are handing the ball to Zack Greinke. He’s the guy who hasn’t posted a win in his last 10 postseason starts.
The Rays are the -140 favorites to get the brooms out and sweep away the Astros. Houston is a +120 underdog.
The Astros haven’t been swept in a postseason series since they lost the 2005 World Series to the Chicago White Sox. Houston was a National League team in those days.
Rays vs Astros Game 4 Odds
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays (T. Glasnow) | -140 | -1.5 (+120) | O 8 (-105) |
| Houston Astros (Z. Greinke) | +120 | +1.5 (-140) | U 8 (-115) |
Odds as of Oct. 14 at PointsBet
All games in the series are being played back to back at the neutral site of Petco Park in San Diego. The Rays own home-field advantage and will be afforded the last at-bat in Games 1, 2, 6, and 7.
The time of the first pitch for Game 4 is 8:40 pm ET.
Greinke In Search of a W
It’s been over five years since Greinke tasted personal success in postseason play. On October. 10, 2015, in Game 2 of the NLDS, Greinke and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Noah Syndergaard and the New York Mets 5-2.
Zack Greinke calls his shot… and Ramon Laureano hits a three run shot off him
3-0 A's pic.twitter.com/EGIBiDWsox
— Nick Pollack (@PitcherList) October 8, 2020
Five days later with the Dodgers facing elimination, Jacob deGrom and the Mets edged Greinke and the Dodgers 3-2, launching his five-year odyssey in search of a playoff W.
Wednesday will mark Greinke’s 11th postseason start since his last win. Personally, he’s just 0-4 during the streak. Greinke’s teams are 5-5 during this stretch.
Zack Greinke: “This season was easily the least fun season of my career."
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) October 13, 2020
Houston has won both of Greinke’s 2020 playoff starts, even though he’s not figured in either decision. The right-hander has posted a 5.19 ERA, so it’s not like he’s been pitching lights out.
Overall, wins have proven elusive for Greinke. Going back to the regular season, he’s gone six straight starts without a win. Greinke has won just three of his last 17 starts. On top of that, he’s dealt with arm soreness in the playoffs.
The Glasnow Handshake
Glasnow could be described as the anti-Greinke. He’s won seven of his eight decisions this season.
The righty was 5-1 with a 4.08 and 1.13 WHIP during regular-season play. In three postseason starts, Glasnow is 2-0 with a 4.05 ERA. He’s struck out 20 in 13.1 innings.
As a team, the Rays are 11-0 in Glasnow’s last 11 starts.
Tyler Glasnow on why his Fastball cuts. pic.twitter.com/IIAO1oM5sA
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 7, 2020
Last season, Glasnow was 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in his two playoff appearances. He lost Game 1 and Game 5 of the ALDS as the Astros eliminated the Rays in five games.
In regular-season play, Glasnow is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA when facing Houston.
Maybe Don’t Sweep Up
Looking at ALCS history, perhaps the Rays might want to lose a game in this ALCS. Now, nobody is saying that they should go all 1919 White Sox and throw a game but ALCS sweeps and World Series success stories are never written in the same season.
Jose Altuve commits his third throwing error of the ALCS. pic.twitter.com/z7l6TCV7kz
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 14, 2020
Since the ALCS went to a best-of-seven affair in 1985, five teams have swept the series – the 1988 and 1990 Oakland Athletics, the 2006 and 2012 Detroit Tigers and the 2014 Kansas City Royals. All five of those teams lost the World Series.
The 1990 A’s and 2012 Tigers were swept in the Fall Classic. Those five teams went a combined 5-20 in their World Series appearances.
Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-140)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
