The battle of Texas kicks off for the second time this season when the Texas Rangers visit Minute Maid Park to take on the Houston Astros. The Rangers won the first two meetings in Arlington last week before Houston evened the series with two straight victories to end it. Dane Dunning and JP France will start in this game, and both pitchers took the loss in separate games when these teams faced off last weekend. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rangers-Astros prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Dane Dunning lost against Houston last Sunday, but his numbers were nearly identical to his first outing. Dunning went 6 2/3 innings against the Astros, allowing four hits and three earned runs while tallying seven strikeouts. He went 6 1/3 in his first start, with the same number of earned runs and strikeouts. Dunning struggled at allowing hard contact in his first two starts, giving up three home runs. The Rangers stay on the road after this series, taking trips to Detroit and Atlanta.

JP France didn't have the greatest performance in his start against the Rangers last Saturday. You can't blame him for the lack of focus, as he returned from a three-day paternity leave to take the ball. France pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and three earned runs. He added four strikeouts to help his cause. Houston stays home to face the Braves after this series, before traveling to Washington to take on the Nationals.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rangers-Astros Odds

Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-160)

Moneyline: +118

Houston Astros: -1.5 (+132)

Moneyline: -138

Over: 9 (-122)

Under: 9 (+100)

How to Watch Rangers vs. Astros

Time: 8:10 PM ET/5:10 PM PT

TV: SCHN, Bally Sports

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Rangers Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Astros opened their series against the Kansas City Royals by losing the first two games, dropping their record to 4-9. It's a disastrous start for the Astros, as their hitting is stalled and they have ten pitchers on the injury list. Framber Valdez was the most recent addition, adding to the list of pitchers who are out with an elbow injury. Until the pitchers return, the Astros need to rely on pitchers like JP France. The Astros have lost four consecutive games that France pitched in, including his last time out when he allowed eight hits and three runs against the Rangers.

The Rangers are mashing against right-handed pitching, batting .275 with an on-base percentage of .356. They are averaging 5.6 runs/9. The Astros are batting just .266 against right-handed pitching, averaging 3.5 runs/9. The Astros beat Texas in Dane Dunning's last start, but Dunning pitched 6 2/3 quality innings but only received one supporting run.

Why The Astros Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Astros are a veteran-led team, and they've advanced to at least the ALCS for seven straight seasons. They are 2-2 in the World Series during that span. This is to say that they've gotten themselves out of slumps before and know how to correct them and have success. There is plenty of time for the Astros to turn this around, and a win against their American League West rivals to begin this series would be a great place to start.

Final Rangers-Astros Prediction & Pick

The Rangers are getting some quality starts from Dane Dunning, and it took Ronel Blanco throwing a one-hit gem for the Astros for them to beat the Rangers in his last start. Two of the Astros' four wins this season have come with Blanco blanking the offense. If they don't get a good pitching performance, the Astros' offense doesn't have good enough form to steal a victory. Take the Rangers to kick off this series like they did the last one and beat the Astros on the road.

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Final Rangers-Astros Prediction & Pick: Rangers ML (+118)