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The stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas! The Texas Rangers will travel south to Minute Maid Park to take on the Houston Astros in a battle for the Lone Star State! It’s about that time to take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series, where our Rangers-Astros prediction and pick will be unveiled.
Look out, folks! The Rangers are in the midst of a four-game winning streak, including a home series sweep against the mighty Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. With the team’s confidence at a season-high, the Rangers will seek to take out another top squad in the American League, as righty Glenn Otto will look to improve upon his 1-1 record and 6.38 ERA.
After losing their first season series of the year to the Boston Red Sox, the 24-14 Astros will look to rebound against the Rangers with lefty Framber Valdez in line for the start. Valdez is 2-2 with a 2.93 ERA after he dealt 7 2/3 innings and only gave up a run in his last start against the Nationals.
Here are the Rangers-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB odds: Rangers-Astros Odds
Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-115)
Houston Astros: -1.5 (-104)
Over: 8 (-104)
Under: 8 (-118)
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Why the Rangers Could Cover the Spread
In a statement series win at home against Los Angeles, there was not much that could go wrong for the Rangers in those three games played. While there was much to celebrate for Texas, they must quickly rebound and get focused for another important early-season series.
Representing the tenth best team in home runs with 39 of them on the season, Texas can make opposing pitching be in a world of hurt with one swing of the bat. Statistically, the Rangers don’t seem all that impressive to the average eye, but they have been stringing together hit after hit during their four-game winning streak. In fact, Texas has generated 30 runs total during this stretch, which nearly accounts for 20% of their entire season production in the runs department.
Pitching-wise, the Rangers will be facing an uphill battle against a legit and lethal offensive lineup in the ‘Stros. Texas has not been an effective pitching squad by any means, as they are 22nd in team WHIP at 1.29 and have a collective ERA of 4.11, which ranks out as the 24th best mark in the major leagues. The Houston area-native in Glenn Otto last squared off with the Astros on Apr. 27th when he pitched 4 1/3 innings and only gave up two runs while also fanning five batsmen.
Why the Astros Could Cover the Spread
Record-wise, Houston possesses one of the best overall records that baseball has to offer. At 24-14, Houston’s season aspirations and expectations are most likely World Series or bust, especially after coming up just short last year in the fall classic to the Braves. The Astros also pass the eye test, as they are capable of mowing down hitters with preciseness and can make opposing arms pay by getting the most out of their at-bats. In fact, Houston is one of few teams that should be considered elite at the plate and on the mound. After an eleven-game winning streak that saw them propel their early-season record, Houston has only gone 2-3 in their past five matchups.
Southpaw Framber Valdez will be next in line among Houston starters that will look to continue to ride his hot wave of success in recent outings. Believe it or not, Valdez has been one of the better starting arms that the Astros possess statistically, as he is only allowed five runs in his previous four starts on the hill.
As a whole, the Astros are ranked third in ERA at 3.01, and include the fourth most quality starts with 15. Houston is also only letting the opposition to bat .222 against them.
As Houston steps inside the batter’s box to begin an at-bat, they more often than not take advantage of whatever pitch comes their way. With a slugging percentage of .417, good for fourth in baseball, the Astros are no strangers to getting extra-base hits and providing fans with souvenirs in the outfield bleachers. In fact, no other team in the majors has as many home runs hit as the Houston Astros and their 56 round-trippers. After an uncharacteristic series versus Boston that saw the Red Sox limit the Astros to only eight runs in three games, Houston is due for a breakout game at the plate.
Final Rangers-Astros Prediction & Pick
Indeed, the larger sample size in each of these teams’ resumes of work suggests the Astros are the far better team, but it is difficult to ignore what both sides have done recently. There’s a chance the Rangers fall flat on their faces tonight, but it would be foolish to bet against them after such a stellar showing versus the Angels. Texas stays within two runs in this one and covers the spread against their in-state division rivals.
Final Rangers-Astros Pick: Rangers +1.5 (-115)