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The Houston Astros will continue their series with the Texas Rangers on Saturday. We are at Globe Life Field, sharing our MLB odds series, making an Astros-Rangers prediction and pick while showing you how to watch.
The Astros defeated the Rangers 5-3 on Friday night. Now, they look to tack on a win and take the series. It started well for the Astros when Jose Altuve clobbered a shot to deep center field for a solo home run to give the Astros the early lead. Significantly, it was his fifth dinger of the season and put the Astros up 1-0. The Rangers struck in the fourth when Josh Jung blasted a shot to deep right-center field. Ultimately, it was his 17th home run of the year and gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Jonah Heim then took a pitch to deep center field for a solo home run. Thus, it was his 11th home run in 2023 and put the Rangers up 3-1.
It was a 3-2 Texas lead in the sixth when Mauricio Dubon clubbed a double to left field to give the Astros the 4-3 lead. Therefore, the Astros took the lead for good before adding another run to cement the game.
Hunter Brown will get the start for the Astros and comes into the showdown with a 6-4 record and a 3.62 ERA. Additionally, he went six innings in his last start while allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out seven in a no-decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nathan Eovaldi takes the mound for the Rangers and comes in with a 9-3 record and a 2.82 ERA. Ultimately, he went 5 2/3 innings in his last start while allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out five and walking two.
Here are the Astros-Rangers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Astros-Rangers Odds
Houston Astros: +1.5 (-182)
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+150)
Over: 8 (-110)
Under: 8 (-110)
How To Watch Astros vs. Rangers
TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest and Bally Sports Southwest
Stream: MLB and MLB Extra Innings
Time: 7:07 PM ET/4:04 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
The Astros have an offense that is capable of hitting the ball at any given moment. However, they have produced inconsistent results throughout the season and have not been the threat they have been in past years.
Altuve is batting .275 with five home runs, 17 RBIs, and 23 runs. Meanwhile, Kyle Tucker is hitting .283 with 11 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 40 runs. Alex Bregman is batting .249 with 12 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 47 runs. Likewise, Yandy Diaz is hitting .274 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs, and 17 runs. These four are part of a core on offense that is 16th in batting average, 17th in on-base percentage, 11th in runs, 13th in home runs, and 15th in slugging percentage.
But it does not seem to matter that the offense is inconsistent when the pitching is so good. Moreover, the bullpen is currently the best in the majors and continue to produce amazing results.
The Astros will cover the spread if they can produce some runs. Then, Brown must pitch a quality start.
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
The Rangers continue to rake the baseball and cover their angles well. Moreover, they are just finding ways to beat opponents in multiple ways. But they have some work to do against the Astros.
Seager is batting .345 with 10 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 32 runs. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Lowe is hitting .274 with eight home runs, 43 RBIs, and 53 runs. Adolis Garcia is batting .263 with 20 home runs, 66 RBIs, and 60 runs. Likewise, Marcus Semien is hitting .282 with 11 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 67 runs. These four are part of an offense that is the best in baseball in batting average, on-base percentage and runs. Moreover, they are sixth in home runs and third in slugging percentage.
The Rangers would not be where they are without their stellar pitching. Additionally, they currently rank eighth in overall pitching. But they have one weakness, and it is their bullpen. Significantly, many of their losses have been because of their bullpen, and they must find a way to pitch well against a good Houston lineup.
The Rangers will cover the spread if their offense can clobber the baseball. Then, the bullpen must hold the lead.
Final Astros-Rangers Prediction & Pick
The Astros have done well against the Rangers. However, Eovaldi is pretty good and has a chance to make a mark against this Houston lineup. Expect the Rangers to keep this close and make the Astros earn the victory if they cannot steal it. Therefore, they will cover the spread in this showdown.
Final Astros-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+150)
