The Houston Astros will be squaring off against their in-state rival Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park. The matchup will be televised nationally on Fox and the first pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET.
Houston Astros at Texas Rangers Odds
Vegas has listed Texas (+165) as the underdog to Houston (-175). The total is sitting at 9.5 runs and bettors can wager on the over for -105 or the under for -115. The game’s most recent runline odds stand at -120 for taking the Astros -1.5 runs and +100 for the Rangers +1.5.
The Rangers are just 27-39 SU and 28-37 ATS. They’ve lost 1.3 units for moneyline bettors and 15.1 units against the spread (ATS). Texas has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven games and the under has hit in six of those seven. The Astros are 40-25 SU and have gone 35-29 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 1.6 units for moneyline bettors, but have gained 5.0 units ATS. Houston’s covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
Texas games have had an over/under record of 29-31-5 so far in 2018. Houston has been a decent under bet with a total record of 26-34-4.
Charlie Morton will get the nod for the visiting Astros. The right-handed Morton is 7-1 with a 2.84 ERA and 92 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with 26 strikeouts and a 2.08 ERA against Texas this year (two starts).
The Rangers will turn to lefty Mike Minor (4-4, 5.76 ERA), who has 52 strikeouts and 14 walks to his name as well as a WHIP of 1.35. Minor is 0-1 with seven strikeouts and a 6.52 ERA against Houston this year.
Houston’s pitching staff allowed 3.0 runs per game and its starters own a 2.83 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 10.27 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.03, along with a WHIP of 1.01 and a K-per-9 of 10.34.
The Astros offense has slashed .258/.332/.421 on its way to 4.9 runs scored per game this season, including 4.9 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
Houston’s offense has been led by second baseman Jose Altuve and right fielder George Springer. Altuve is hitting .341/.386/.470 with five home runs, 33 RBIs, 38 runs and nine stolen bases, while Springer (.287/.358/.504) has produced 13 homers, 39 RBIs and 47 runs scored.
For the home team, Texas’ pitchers have given up 5.2 runs per game overall this year. Its starting pitching staff has a 5.41 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 6.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.63 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 8.1 K/9. In 36 divisional games, Rangers starters have an ERA of 4.96 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.85.
The Texas hitters have produced 4.2 runs per contest, including 3.5 per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .210/.319/.465 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Rangers’ hitters have been led by Shin-soo Choo and Nomar Mazara. Choo is slashing .272/.375/.461 with 11 home runs, 27 RBIs and 39 runs scored, and Mazara’s line is .266/.339/.500 with 14 homers, 41 RBIs and 36 runs.
The Astros have lost 3.0 units and are 13-11 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has hit in 11 of those games, compared to 12 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Rangers have lost 0.1 units and are 19-25 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 18 of those games, compared to 24 that’ve gone under.
Houston Astros at Texas Rangers Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
Houston has posted 22.2 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 23.0 over its last five.
Both teams have hit 13 home runs over their last 10 outings.
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