The set-up: I had a play on the Rays in Game 1. I liked Tampa because Snell was a lefty and Houston's hard-hitting red hot line-up is primarily right-handed. Charlie Morton though is a right-hander and he's been terrible against the Astros throughout his career, going just 4-6 with a 6.28 ERA in 11 starts against them.

The pick: Lance McCullers is a decent 1-2 with a 3.79 ERA in three career starts vs. Tampa, but he allowed eight hits and five runs, including three dingers, in his lone playoff start vs. the A's last week. Game 1 saw these teams combine to go 3 of 16 with runners in scoring position in Game 1. Look for these suspect starters to get the hook early and expect this total to fly "over" sooner, rather than later.

This is an 8* SPECIAL TOTAL on the OVER Astros/Rays.