Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros will travel a few hours up Interstate 45 to play their divisional nemesis Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park. ATTSN Southwest will be televising the matchup and the game is slated to get underway at 8:05 p.m. ET.
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Odds
Texas (+180) is the underdog to Houston (-190) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this night game at 9.5 runs. Odds for wagering on the game’s total stand at +100 for the over and -120 for the under. This game currently has a runline of Astros -1.5 (-135) and Rangers +1.5 (+115).
Both teams have rewarded bettors this year this year. The Rangers are 10-7 straight up (SU) and 11-6 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 6.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 2.8 units ATS. On the other hand, the Astros have gone 12-6 SU this year and are 8-10 ATS. Overall, the club has gained 3.0 units for moneyline bettors in the season’s early going, but have lost 1.8 units ATS.
Rangers games have had an over/under record of 9-8 so far in 2019. The Astros have been a decent under bet with a total record of 6-12.
The right-handed Justin Verlander will get the start for the visiting Astros. Verlander is 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA and 30 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with four strikeouts and a 9.00 ERA against Texas this year.
The Rangers will turn to lefty Drew Smyly (0-1, 7.15 ERA), who has 11 strikeouts and seven walks as well as a 1.85 WHIP. Smyly is 0-0 with two strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA in one start against Houston this year.
Houston’s pitching staff allowed 3.1 runs per game and its starters own a 3.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 9.66 K/9. The bullpen has logged an excellent ERA of just 2.61, along with a K-per-9 of 10.63.
The Astros offense has slashed .271/.350/.456 on its way to 4.3 runs scored per game this season, including 4.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Houston’s hitters have been led by Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley. Altuve is slashing .310/.359/.634 with seven home runs, 13 RBIs and 12 runs scored, while Brantley has a .299 average with two homers, 12 RBIs and eight runs scored.
In the other dugout, Texas’ pitching staff has allowed 5.1 runs per game overall this season. Its starters have a 5.51 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.62 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 7.4 K/9. In 12 games against divisional foes, Rangers starters have an ERA of 4.99 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.42.
The Texas hitters are putting up 5.5 runs per contest, including 5.2 per game against divisional foes and 7.2 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .281/.358/.521 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that span.
Elvis Andrus and Shin-soo Choo have paced the Rangers’ batters so far. Andrus is hitting .386/.411/.600 with three home runs, 13 RBIs and nine runs scored, and Choo’s line is .345/.446/.600 with 19 hits, eight RBIs and 10 runs scored.
The Astros have gained 2.9 units and are 3-3 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in two of those games, compared to four that’ve gone under against left-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Rangers have netted 4.9 units and are 8-4 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in six of those games, as opposed to six that’ve gone under.
Astros vs. Rangers MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – UNDER
Betting Trends
- The over has cashed in four of Houston’s last seven games.
- Texas has posted 21.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 26.0 over its last five.
- The Astros have hit 19 home runs in their last 10 games. The Rangers have hit 11 over their last 10.
- The Astros have a team OPS of .806 this season, including an OPS of .912 when facing left-handed pitchers. The Rangers’ OPS sits at .782 overall and .703 against lefties.
