In the last of a three-game series between the Houston Astros (18-9) and the Texas Rangers (18-9) at Minute Maid Park, Samuel Deduno (0-0, 2.70 ERA) and Colby Lewis (1-2, 3.00 ERA) get the start. The Rangers won the last game 7-1 and Texas leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 8:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 6 and will air on FSN-SW and ROOT-SW.
Deduno has a 7.56 ERA and a 0-1 record in his career against the Rangers, but is up against a less-than-stellar Texas offense that’s hitting just .220 on the year. In his pitching opportunities against the Astros, Lewis is 5-1 with a 1.95 ERA. He gets a struggling Houston offense that’s batting just .239. Elvis Andrus (.240, 11 Rs, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 4 SBs) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two runs and one stolen base.
Houston is a -126 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at nine runs. The Astros are 5-4 as the favorite and have an overall money line of +1,148. They have performed well against their division to earn an SU record of 14-6 and a 4-3 record when they were the favorite. Over their past 10 games, Houston’s offense has been playing lights out, averaging 7.2 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.8. The Astros come into the game with the fifth-ranked scoring offense in the AL, averaging 4.8 runs per game. The Astros are a dangerous hitting team with 92 extra base hits, one of the highest totals in the MLB. They have been a terror on the base paths, leading all of baseball with 33 steals. As for the pitching staff, the Astros lead the AL in ERA with a 3.08 team average. The Astros lead the league in WHIP at 1.07.
Moving on to the away team, the Rangers come into this game with a weak win percentage of .364 when playing as the underdog (8-14) and an overall money line of -408. Against divisional foes, they are 8-15 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 7-13 record.
The Rangers are 3-2 against the Astros this season. This game will feature Lewis (RHP) on the mound against the Astros, who have a 10-5 record when they take on a right-handed starter. The right-handed Deduno will take the mound against the Rangers. Against righty starters this season, they have an awful 5-9 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Houston is 9-3, while Texas is 4-11.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Astros are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Rangers have a 6-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
It looks like the Rangers have a slight leg up on the Astros, as the Rangers have won their last two games while the Astros have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 11-4. The Rangers have a 7-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 22nd in runs, Texas has earned 98 this season. Houston ranks sixth with 127 runs.
Ranking 12th, Texas is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 85 this season. Houston ranks in the top five at third with 97.
When the Astros hit at least one home run, they are 14-6, well-matched with the Rangers who are 7-4 when hitting one or more homers.
