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Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros Preview and Pick

Scott Kazmir (6-5, 2.10 ERA) gets the start for the Houston Astros (60-47) as they meet Nick Martinez (6-6, 4.01 ERA) and the Texas Rangers (52-53) in the last of a three-game series at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers won the last game 4-3 and Texas leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 5 and will air on FSSW and RTSW.

In his most recent outing, Martinez pitched 6.1 innings, allowing two runs, striking out four and walking two in a 6-3 victory over the Giants. Mitch Moreland (.286, 36 Rs, 16 HRs, 56 RBIs, 1 SB) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run and two RBIs. The Astros were unsuccessful the last time Kazmir pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 7.2 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out five and walking three in a 3-0 loss to the Angels. George Springer (.264, 43 Rs, 13 HRs, 29 RBIs, 14 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one run and one stolen base.

Texas, a +144 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Houston. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at nine runs. The Rangers are 45-42 as the underdog and have an overall money line of +1,544. They have not performed well against their division, earning an SU record of 16-26 and a 14-23 record when they were the underdog. The most recent 10-game stretch for the Rangers has gone great. Over that span, Texas is averaging 5.7 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.5. Below average play has been the norm lately for the Texas pitchers. The Rangers have given up an average of 7.3 runs to opponents in their last 10 games, above their season average of 4.8 runs per game.

Switching to the opposing bench, the Astros come into this game with a win percentage of .596 when playing as the favorite (34-23) and an overall money line of +834. Against divisional rivals, they are 27-19 SU and 11-12 as the favorite. The Astros rank third in the AL in scoring, averaging 4.5 runs per game. One of the top road hitting teams in the AL are the Astros, who average 8.6 hits in games away from home. Houston is a terror on the base paths, ranking third in the MLB with 76 stolen bases. Switching gears to Houston’s pitching staff, they have a WHIP of 1.19, third best in the MLB.

The Rangers have mostly come out on top against the Astros in their previous 10 games this season, earning a 6-4 record. The Rangers will take on a left-hander (Kazmir) in this game and have a 17-22 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Astros will be the right-hander Martinez. They sport a 38-29 record against righties.

Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, O/U – Over

Notes

Texas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.

Texas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.

The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Texas’s last 16 games when playing Houston.

The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas’s last 6 games when playing Houston.

Texas is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Houston.

Texas is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Houston.

The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Texas’s last 8 games when playing at home against Houston.

The Rangers currently sit below .500 against the AL West Division at 15-26, and the Astros have a 27-18 record.

After last game’s shutout win against the Houston, the Rangers now have five shutouts this season. The Astros have been shut out in six games this season.

Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Rangers are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Astros have a 10-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.

When they are outhit, the Rangers are 10-42. The Astros have a 12-33 record when opponents outhit them.

Houston tops the league in home runs with 151 this season. Texas ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 110.

Ranking 13th, Houston is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.23 per game. Texas ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.71.

Texas and Houston both rank in the top 10 of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Texas sits at ninth with an OPS of .730 and Houston ranks sixth with an OPS of .746.

The Astros are 21-32 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Rangers are 28-41 when they allow at least one homer.

Written by GMS Previews

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