Houston Astros at Texas Rangers Betting Preview
Tuesday features the second game of a Lone Star State showdown as the Houston Astros (37-24) take on the Texas Rangers (29-31). The Rangers will host this one at Globe Life Field, with first pitch scheduled for 8:05 pm ET.
The Rangers won the opener on Monday in come-from-behind fashion as they scored four in the last two innings to win five to three. Brock Burke picked up the win in relief, firing two scoreless innings while striking out one.
Offensively, Marcus Semien and Corey Seager combined for five hits. The Rangers were able to scratch across five runs despite leaving 24 on base.
For the Astros, Christian Javier was fantastic, going six innings, allowing two runs, and striking out five. Unfortunately for Astros’ fans, Hector Neris allowed three runs in just a third of an inning.
Yordan Alvarez continued his torrid offensive stretch going two for four with a run batted in. One of his outs was actually a robbed home run by Adolis Garcia.
The Astros are the favorites Tuesday despite playing on the road. They are -120 to win while the Rangers’ moneyline sits at +102. The runline features Texas +1.5 (-162), and the over/under for total runs is nine.
Astros Looking To Get Back On Track
Despite a 37-24 record, which is good for a 7.5-game lead in the division, the Astros have not been playing great ball as of late. In fact, they have lost six of their last ten games and will look to get back on track Tuesday.
Taking the mound for Houston will be righty Jose Urquidy. This season, Urquidy is 5-4 in 11 games, but he sports a rough 5.04 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and has just 43 strikeouts in 55.1 innings of work.
He took the loss in his last start against the Mariners, going 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks.
Despite having some star power, Houston’s offense has struggled a bit this year. They rank 22nd in scoring averaging just 4.13 runs per game. They have performed better on the road, though, averaging 4.41 runs away from Houston.
Their best hitter has been Yordan Alvarez. Recently signed to an extension, Alvarez is hitting .315/.403/.625 with 17 home runs, 42 runs batted in, and 38 runs scored. He leads the Astros in all three of those categories.
Against the Rangers’ Dane Dunning, Alvarez is three for six with a home run.
Rangers Trying To Chip Away At Division Deficit
The Rangers currently sit in second in the AL West, and a series win against Houston would help as they try to chip away at the division deficit. They will also try to improve a home record that currently sits at just 14-16.
On the mound for the Rangers on Tuesday will be righty Dane Dunning. In 12 games, Dunning is 1-4 with a 4.41 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and has 64 strikeouts in 65.1 innings.
Like Urquidy, Dunning is coming off of a loss in his last start. Against the Guardians, he went just four innings, allowing four earned runs on nine hits.
Keep an eye on Marcus Semien in this one. In 13 at bats against Urquidy, he is hitting .385 with a home run. Sam Huff also has done well, going four for eight with two home runs.
Texas’ best hitter this season has been Adolis Garcia. In 230 at bats, he is hitting .243/.290/.461 with a team-leading 12 home runs, 41 runs batted in, and 33 runs scored.
Take Rangers On Runline
While the Astros hold a large division lead and have owned the Rangers in recent years, they have just had some inconsistencies this year that make betting on them a little concerning.
First, Jose Urquidy has been anything but consistent this year, and opponents have been able to get to him at times. Furthermore, the Astros’ offense, outside of Yordan Alvarez and just a couple of others, has not been the intimidating force it has been in recent years.
With both pitchers sporting pretty high ERAs, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the over hit in this one. But with both teams capable of putting up crooked numbers against subpar starters, taking the runline might be the best play for this game.
In this case, that means taking Texas +1.5 (-162).
