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The Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros. Check out our MLB odds series for our Rangers Astros prediction and pick.
Jon Gray gets the ball for the Rangers, while Justin Verlander makes the start for the Astros.
Jon Gray has a 5.73 ERA. He has given up at least three runs in four of his five starts so far this season, and he has pitched more than five innings only once. He has struggled, but it is also worth noting that he shut out the Yankees in 4 1/3 innings in his best start of the season. There is potential here, but Gray has not been able to unlock it on a consistent basis. Texas really needs him to pitch into the sixth inning in his starts so that the bullpen isn't overextended every time Gray takes the mound.
Justin Verlander is, at the age of 39, a Cy Young Award contender. Age and injury have not gotten in the way of Verlander in 2022. He has poured the vintage wine and rolled back the years, showing he can still bring it the way other old-man fireballers such as Nolan Ryan did in the latter stages of a career. Verlander has a 1.38 ERA, and he has pitched 45 2/3 innings, an average of nearly seven innings per start. He is still a workhorse and still able to dominate opposing hitters. He has not allowed more than three runs in any start this season. He has allowed more than two runs only once in his seven starts, and more than one run only twice. His “worst” start was a quality start — six innings and three runs against the Blue Jays on April 22. He is elite, and that can't be ignored when making a Rangers Astros prediction.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Rangers-Astros MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Rangers-Astros Odds
Texas Rangers: +1.5 (+104)
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+125)
Over: 7.5 (-115)
Under: 7.5 (-105)
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Why The Rangers Could Cover the Spread
The Rangers are playing their best baseball of the season right now. They swept the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the week. They have split the first two games of this four-game set in Houston. Martin Perez, who just blanked the Astros in a rare complete-game, nine-inning shutout on Friday, is the hottest starting pitcher in the American League, if not Major League Baseball. The Rangers' pitching has been surprisingly strong. The last time Texas allowed more than five runs in a game was one week ago on May 14. Containing the Angels and Astros for a full week is no easy task, but Texas has done it. As everyone in Arlington will tell you, Marcus Semien has not hit well at all. If he can get going, this becomes a very dangerous, very interesting team with real designs on an American League wild card berth. This is something to think about when making a Rangers Astros pick.
Why The Astros Could Cover the Spread
Justin Verlander is frankly all the reason you should need to pick the Astros. However, if you need more convincing, keep in mind that Jon Gray has not been very consistent for the Rangers. The matchup, not just Verlander himself, favors Houston.
Also realize that the Astros just got shut out by Martin Perez on Friday night. Nine innings and no runs against one starting pitcher. The Astros have way too much talent to get smoked on consecutive nights by Texas pitching. The fact that Jon Gray is a mediocre pitcher should lead to a breakout for the Houston bats in this game on Saturday.
Final Rangers-Astros Prediction & Pick
The pitching matchup is lopsided in favor of the Astros. Houston will be motivated after a shutout loss on Friday. This pick is pretty easy to make, even though Texas is playing some really good baseball right now.
Final Rangers-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5
