The Houston Astros put a 5-1 beating on the Tampa Bay Rays on Opening Day. I like the Rays to bounce back here in Game 2 of the series Friday night.

The Rays hand the ball to right-hander Charlie Morton (2018: 15-3, 3.13 ERA) for his first start for the club. The former Astro should be pumped up for this game, facing the team he helped win the 2017 World Series and compiled a 29-10 record behind a 3.36 ERA in 55 starts with over the last two seasons. "It's a group of guys I care a lot about," Morton told the Tampa Bay Times. "It's an organization I was proud to be a part of. To pitch against them, yeah, I absolutely expect to feel some emotion. And I think that's normal when you're pitching against a group of guys who mean a lot to you and you respect a lot."

The Astros counter with right-hander Gerrit Cole (2018: 15-5, 2.88 ERA) who is no doubt a stud, but he went 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA in two starts against the Rays last year.

The Rays are 10-2 in their last 12 games following a loss and 9-2 in their last 11 after scoring two runs or less in their previous game. While those trends date back to last season, I still think they're worth taking into consideration here.

8* play on Tampa Bay Rays.