The Houston Astros enter their June 1, 2025 matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays with a 31–26 record and the goal of evening the series after splitting the first two games in dramatic fashion, most recently falling victim to a Junior Caminero power surge that included two home runs and five RBIs but having previously walked off Tampa Bay in extras thanks to a clutch blast by Yainer Díaz, reminding everyone of the Astros’ signature late-inning resilience. Despite ongoing rotation injuries that have tested the team’s depth, Houston remains firmly in contention thanks to veteran leadership, offensive consistency, and opportunistic bullpen work that has kept them competitive even when starters have faltered, and on Sunday, they’ll turn to Colton Gordon, who comes in with a 0–0 record and a 5.52 ERA and is still searching for his first major impact start while facing a Rays lineup that’s heating up at the wrong time for him. The Astros have covered the run line in over 52% of their games this season and have made a habit of building rallies through tough at-bats and situational execution, relying heavily on cornerstone players like José Altuve and Jeremy Peña to set the table while power threats like Kyle Tucker and Díaz drive them home. While their bullpen has not been perfect, it has often held strong late, particularly when protecting narrow leads, and Lance McCullers Jr.’s recent return with a dominant 12-strikeout performance has injected needed confidence into a pitching staff that had struggled to maintain consistency from one outing to the next.

Offensively, Houston averages 4.6 runs per game and has been particularly dangerous at home, where the lineup feeds off the crowd and rarely gets cheated in hitter’s counts, something that will pressure Tampa Bay starter Zack Littell—who has a respectable 3.97 ERA but has also given up more than his share of hard contact when falling behind early. Houston’s defense, though not elite, has done its job more often than not and remains solid up the middle, while manager Joe Espada continues to push all the right buttons in his first season as skipper, juggling young arms and veteran bats with impressive tactical awareness. The Astros are favored at -1.5 on the run line and -130 on the moneyline with a modest 7.5-run total, indicating expectations for a tight, possibly low-scoring contest that could come down to execution in the sixth through ninth innings, and Houston has the kind of playoff-tested DNA to thrive in exactly that sort of environment. With Gordon looking to prove he belongs in the rotation and the offense ready to respond to Saturday’s frustrations, the Astros will aim to apply pressure early, support their starter defensively, and count on their reliable core to grind down Littell’s pitch count and seize the game late to secure another home series and maintain momentum in an increasingly competitive AL West.