The Houston Astros take on the Texas Rangers. Our MLB odds series has our Astros Rangers prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Astros Rangers.

The Houston Astros have had a very rough start to their season. They have faced a tough schedule, but they have still underperformed relative to the talent they have and the expectations they carry for themselves. The Astros have been the most successful team in the American League over the past seven years. They won the World Series in both 2017 and 2022. They made the World Series four times in six seasons from 2017 through 2022, missing out only in 2018 and 2020. The Astros came one win away from returning to the World Series last year. This is a team which always expects to play meaningful baseball in the third and fourth weeks of October. Therefore, being 2-7 through nine games is completely unacceptable, but more than that, quite alarming.

What adds to Houston's discomfort and growing sense of concern is that the Texas Rangers might be in the process of becoming the new team to fear in the American League. Yes, the Rangers won the World Series last year, but they were a wild card team which floundered for much of August and September before regrouping to barely make the playoffs. This year, the Rangers — having won the first World Series in franchise history — are oozing confidence. They don't hope they can be good. They know they're good. They're playing like it. They're 6-2 out of the gate and are scoring runs in bunches once again. They already look like a team that is going to play in the American League Championship Series. Bruce Bochy, a future Hall of Fame manager, is hitting all the right notes with this team once again. The Rangers look a lot better than the Astros do, and that doesn't feel like a fluke.

Here are the Astros-Rangers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Astros-Rangers Odds

Houston Astros: -1.5 (-146)

Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-178)

Over: 9.5 (-120)

Under: 9.5 (-102)

How To Watch Astros vs. Rangers

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN Plus

Time: 7:08 p.m. ET/4:08 p.m. PT

*Watch Astros-Rangers LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread

The Astros send Ronel Blanco to the mound after he no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays last week in one of the more unlikely no-hitters we have seen in Major League Baseball. Blanco's masterpiece came out of nowhere. What also makes it surprising is that it happened in the first week of the season. Usually, pitchers need a few weeks — sometimes a few months — to really get into a groove and develop both the stamina and sharpness to pitch a complete game at a high level. Blanco has obviously figured out some things about how to pitch. That's a great reason to bet on him and the Astros in this game. Houston really needs to win, so the Astros are likely to be more motivated than the Rangers, who don't face the same level of urgency in this particular game situation.

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

When a non-ace pitcher throws a no-hitter as Ronel Blanco did for Houston last week, the next start is often a rough one, a classic case of regression to the mean. That's a good reason to take Texas here.

Final Astros-Rangers Prediction & Pick

This seems like a stay-away game. The Astros really need this one, but Blanco is probably going to regress from his last start. You can pass on this one.

Final Astros-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Rangers +1.5