The Houston Astros will be facing off against their in-state foe Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park. ATTSN Southwest will televise the matchup and the game is slated to get underway at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Houston Astros at Texas Rangers Odds
Texas (+160) is the home-team underdog to Houston (-170) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this night game at 10.5 runs (+110 for the over and -130 for the under). You can also bet on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds standing at -120 for the Astros -1.5 runs and +100 for the Rangers +1.5.
The Astros are 56-31 SU and have gone 45-41 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 1.5 units for moneyline gamblers and 0.5 units ATS. Houston has covered the spread just once over its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven. The Rangers, on the other hand, are 38-48 SU and 41-44 ATS. They’ve lost 0.0 units for moneyline bettors and 6.8 units ATS. Texas has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Texas games have an over/under record of 39-40-6 so far in 2018. Astros games have gone under 43 times, gone over 38 times and pushed on five occasions.
Gerrit Cole will get the start for the visiting Astros. The right-handed Cole (9-2, 2.50 ERA) has racked up 151 strikeouts in 111.2 innings so far. He’s 2-0 with 33 strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA against Texas this year (three starts).
The Rangers will send lefty Mike Minor (6-4, 4.64 ERA) to the mound. Minor has 70 strikeouts and 19 walks to his name, as well as a 1.17 WHIP. Minor is 0-1 with 11 strikeouts and a 5.74 ERA over three starts against Houston this year.
Texas’ pitching staff has yielded 5.1 runs per game overall this season as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 5.33, a WHIP of 1.44 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 6.8. The bullpen has a 3.69 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 8.3 K/9. In 39 divisional games, Rangers starters have an ERA of 5.16 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.71.
The Texas offense is putting up 4.5 runs per outing, including 3.5 per game against divisional foes and 7.4 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .306/.384/.533 over its last five matchups and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Shin-soo Choo and Nomar Mazara have led the Rangers’ batters this year. Choo is hitting .286/.398/.484 with 15 home runs, 40 RBIs and 50 runs scored, and Mazara’s line is .278/.337/.475 with 15 homers, 55 RBIs and 45 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, Houston’s pitchers have allowed 3.1 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 2.95 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 10.29 K/9. The bullpen has an outstanding ERA of just 2.59, along with a WHIP of 1.07.
The Astros offense has slashed .262/.336/.435 on its way to 5.0 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.3 runs per game against divisional foes and 2.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Second baseman Jose Altuve and third baseman Alex Bregman continue to lead Houston’s offense. Altuve is slashing .334/.398/.472 with seven home runs, 41 RBIs, 55 runs and 12 stolen bases, while Bregman is hitting .279/.379/.515 with 16 homers, 53 RBIs, 53 runs and eight stolen bases.
The Astros have lost 8.4 units and are 15-17 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in 14 of those games, compared to 17 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Rangers have lost 0.9 units and are 27-31 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 24 of those games, compared to 31 which went under the total.
Houston Astros at Texas Rangers Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
The over has cashed in four of Texas’ last seven games.
Texas has recorded 25.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 29.4 over its last five.
The Astros have hit 15 home runs in their last 10 games. The Rangers have hit 13 over their last 10.
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