Houston Astros at Texas Rangers Betting Betting Preview
Tuesday features the second of a four-game series between Lone Star state rivals as the Houston Astros (84-59) take on the Texas Rangers (53-90). The Rangers will host this one at Globe Life Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:05 pm ET.
The Astros were able to pound the Rangers in the opener on Monday 15-1. In the victory, Yordan Alvarez and Jose Siri had two home runs apiece. They also combined for eight runs batted in.
Jake Odorizzi had to leave his start in the second inning with a foot injury, but the Astros’ bullpen was able to go 7.2 innings, allowing just one run and striking out nine.
In the loss, Rangers’ starter Spencer Howard went just 1.1 innings and allowed six runs on six hits. The Rangers were able to collect nine hits, but they still only managed a single run.
The Astros are the favorites on Tuesday despite playing on the road. They are -225, while the Rangers’ moneyline sits at +188. The runline features Texas +1.5 (+112), and the over/under for total runs is nine.
Pitching Matchup
Zack Greinke will return from the COVID-19 list to make the start Tuesday. On the season, he is 11-5 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and he has struck out 110 in 159.2 innings.
The Rangers will counter with righty Jordan Lyles (8-11, 5.43 ERA). He has picked up wins in back-to-back starts. In those two outings, he has allowed just four earned runs in 13.2 innings.
By The Numbers
Houston has been one of the best offenses in baseball this season. They currently rank third in scoring averaging 5.25 runs per game. The Rangers rank 29th, averaging 3.93 runs.
Defensively, it is again the Astros with the edge. They rank fourth in scoring defense, allowing opponents just four runs per game. The Rangers rank 23rd allowing 4.92 runs per game (4.49 at home).
Astros Try To Secure Division Title
With a seven-game lead in the division, the Astros are sitting pretty in the AL West. Still, with six games remaining with Oakland, the Astros would love to pick up every win they can as they try to secure the AL West crown.
The offense continues to be a juggernaut. With his two home runs Monday, Yordan Alvarez now has a team-leading 30 home runs and 94 runs batted in a while hitting .281/.351/.539.
In their careers, several Astros have hit Rangers’ starter Jordan Lyles well. Jose Altuve (.364, 2 HR), Chas McCormick (.600, 2 HR), Alex Bregman (.364, HR), and Carlos Correa (.400) have all had success. Additionally, Kyle Tucker and Martin Maldonado have also taken the righty deep.
Rangers Playing For Pride
It has been a brutal year for the Texas Rangers this season. At 53-90, they are 31 games back of the Astros. Still, playing for pride, they will try to improve on their current 31-38 home record.
Offensively, outfielder Adolis Garcia has been their best hitter this season. He is hitting .245/.293/.467 and leads the team in home runs (29), runs batted in (79), and runs scored (70).
Against Greinke, Garcia is hitting .571 in seven at-bats with a run batted in.
One name to keep an eye out for Tuesday is DJ Peters. He is two for two against Greinke with a home run in his career.
Take The Astros To Win And Cover
While the Greinke versus Lyles matchup is probably closer than it seems, this one boils down to the offenses. As they showed Monday, Houston’s offense is absolutely electric and has the capability of putting up runs in a hurry.
This is highly unlikely to be a shutout on either side, but it is just tough to think Texas has enough firepower to keep up with the Astros.
Take Houston to win, and don’t hesitate to take them covering the 1.5 runs on the runline, too.
