The Houston Astros will take on the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make an Astros-Rangers prediction and pick.
Unsurprisingly, the Astros have once again been one of the best teams in the entire MLB. They're currently 37-24, a record that has given them a 7.5-game lead in the AL West. The Rangers were expected to at least compete for the West this season, but that hasn't been the case so far. Texas is a disappointing 29-31, a record most expected them to exceed by a long shot at this point in the season. However, they are still in second place in the division. A win against the Astros would go a long way in closing that gap, making this game an important one. Let's cut to the chase and get straight into the pick.
Here are the Astros-Rangers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Astros-Rangers Odds
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+130)
Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-156)
Over: 9 (-104)
Under: 9 (-118)
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Why The Astros Could Cover the Spread
The Astros will be lucky enough to face Dane Dunning in this matchup. Dunning hasn't been awful this season, but he definitely hasn't been any good, as shown by his 4.41 ERA and his 1.33 WHIP. It also helps that Dunning has been absolutely awful in a couple of his latest starts. In his most recent appearance, he gave up four runs and nine hits over four innings to the Cleveland Guardians. A couple starts before that, Dunning got hit for two runs and seven hits by the Oakland Athletics, the worst offensive team in baseball. The Astros aren't among the league's best offensive teams, but they certainly have what it takes to get to Dunning in this matchup.
Much of this Houston lineup has a great career history against Dunning. There are six hitters in the lineup that have a career batting average of .333 or higher against the righty, despite Dunning only facing the Astros twice in his career. Over those two starts combined, Dunning went nine innings and allowed six runs. A good offensive performance should be in store for Houston, and that may be enough to cover.
Why The Rangers Could Cover the Spread
Luckily for the Rangers, they won't be playing against one of the better Astros pitchers here. Jose Urquidy is set to make this start, something that has seldom worked out well for Houston. Urquidy currently owns a 5.04 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP, two of the worst numbers in baseball. He was just hammered for four runs over four innings against the Seattle Mariners, and gave up five runs over four innings a couple of starts prior when he faced the Mariners once again. Seattle isn't a good offensive team, so it's telling that they consistently get to Urquidy.
The Rangers will certainly benefit from playing at home in this game. Unsurprisingly, Urquidy has been absolutely awful on the road, allowing a 6.61 ERA while opposing batters hit .345 against him. The Astros' lineup has also been less effective on the road, earning lower numbers in pretty much every single major batting category. Overall, Texas should be able to capitalize on their home field advantage here.
Final Astros-Rangers Prediction & Pick
The over should cash easily here. Urquidy is almost a lock to get completely shelled, and Dunning is no stud either. Lock in the over and don't look back.
Final Astros-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Over: 9 (-104)
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