The Texas Rangers will be squaring off against their in-state foe Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. ATTSN Southwest will broadcast the matchup and the first pitch will be at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Texas Rangers at Houston Astros Odds
Houston (-250) is favored over Texas (+225) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this night game at 8.5 runs (-110 for the over and -110 for the under). Runline odds sit at +100 for taking the Rangers +1.5 runs and -120 for the Astros -1.5.
The Rangers have gone 16-24 SU this year and are 15-24 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 3.1 units for moneyline bettors through the early part of the season and 13.2 units ATS. The Astros, on the other hand, are 24-16 SU and 20-19 ATS. The team has lost 2.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 1.6 units ATS.
Astros games have a 14-23-2 over/under record so far in 2018. The Rangers have been a decent over bet with a total record of 21-15-3.
Right-hander Doug Fister is projected to start for the visiting Rangers. Fister is 1-3 with a 4.02 ERA and 25 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with three strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA against Houston this year.
The Astros are turning to righty Charlie Morton (4-0, 2.16 ERA), who has 48 punchouts and 17 walks to his credit as well as a 1.03 WHIP. Morton is 0-0 with 12 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA over one starts against Texas this year.
As a unit, Houston’s pitchers have allowed 2.7 runs per game overall this year. The team’s starters have a 2.33 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 3.14, a WHIP of 1.08 and a K/9 of 9.8. In 21 games against divisional foes, Astros starters have an ERA of 2.35 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.71.
The Houston offense has produced 4.8 runs per contest, including 5.1 per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .281/.350/.478 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Outfielder George Springer and shortstop Carlos Correa have led the Astros’ hitters this year. Springer is slashing .296/.363/.506 with eight home runs, 26 RBIs and 33 runs scored, and Correa’s line is .292/.370/.489 with five homers, 25 RBIs and 24 runs.
For the visitors, Texas’ pitching staff allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.13 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 7.15 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.30, along with a WHIP of 1.46.
Rangers hitters have slashed .233/.305/.396 on their way to 4.0 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.2 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
Right fielder Nomar Mazara and first baseman Joey Gallo have led Texas’ hitters. Mazara is slashing .299/.360/.551 with 10 home runs, 26 RBIs and 23 runs scored, while Gallo (.208/.292/.493) is up to 12 homers, 25 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
Maintaining a slash line of .206/.276/.360 across 301 plate appearances, Mazara seemed to have some trouble hitting on the road in 2017 (compared to his total season slash line of .253/.323/.422).
The Rangers have lost 0.8 units and are 11-16 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 14 of those games, compared to 12 that’ve hit the under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Astros have lost 1.8 units and are 13-13 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in nine of those games, compared to 16 that went under.
Texas Rangers at Houston Astros Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Rangers, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
The over has cashed in four of Texas’ last seven games.
Texas fielders have 11 errors over the last 10 games, compared to six errors for Houston over its last 10.
The Rangers have hit 17 home runs in their last 10 games. The Astros have hit nine over their last 10.
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