The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are set to play their fourth and final game of the series on Monday. The Houston Astros won on Sunday Night Baseball, and are now 3-7 on the season. The Astros are tied at the bottom of the American League West standings with the Oakland Athletics.
For the Texas Rangers, with the loss on Sunday, they are now 6-3 on the season. The Rangers are a single game ahead of the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West.
The Houston Astros are -135 in this game over the Texas Rangers.
Slow Start for Houston
It was not a good start for the series in Texas as the Astros allowed 17 runs over the first two games. But, a win on Sunday allows them a chance to split the series in this one. The Houston Astros head to Kansas City for a three game series following this. After that, the Astros will come back home and host the Rangers for another series.
The Astros have struggled a bit at the plate, but Jose Altuve continues to hit the baseball. The second baseman is hitting .375 on the season, with three home runs on the season. Yordan Alvarez has six runs batted in as well as three home runs for Houston. As a team, the Astros are 19th in runs, with 34.
Houston will send Framber Valdez to the hill in this one. Valdez has made two starts on the season, and thrown more than 12 innings. He has allowed three runs, and struck out 10 batters so far this season.
Texas Rangers as Defending Champions
Throwing for the Texas Rangers is Andrew Heaney. The 32 year old lefthander is making his second start of the season. In his first start, he took the loss, going 4.2 innings, and allowing 4 hits and 3 runs. Just one of the runs was earned.
The Rangers could not figure out Ronel Blanco, as he allowed just one hit over six innings on Sunday. Texas scored their lone run in the ninth inning of the game as Justin Foscue drove in his first of his career.
The Rangers have been red hot on offense outside of that. They are hitting .301, which is second in Major League Baseball. Texas has scored 52 runs, which is 6th in the league. The Rangers have an on base percentage of .378 on the season, which is also the best in Major League Baseball. The defending World Series Champions host Oakland for three after this.
Astros Even Series
The Houston Astros are going to even this series at two games each on Monday. Houston, who lost the first two got two great bounce back wins. They are hoping these two wins can carry them into some momentum for a better bounce back in the month of April. Our final betting pick for this game on Monday is the Houston Astros -135 over the Texas Rangers. Enjoy the game and good luck!
