Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Betting Preview

The Lone Star State rivalry continues Saturday evening as the Houston Astros (76-52) take on the Texas Rangers (44-84). The Rangers will host this second of a three-game series at Globe Life Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm ET.

After falling behind 4-0 early in Friday’s opening game, the Astros were able to rally against the Rangers’ bullpen for a 5-4 victory. In the win, Michael Brantley had three hits, and a couple runs batted in while outfielder Jake Meyers started the rally with a double to score two in the seventh inning.

Unfortunately for Rangers’ starter Glen Otto, his outstanding debut was ruined by a bullpen meltdown. In the no-decision, he threw five scoreless innings, only allowing two hits and striking out seven. Andy Ibanez homered in the loss.

The Astros are the overwhelming favorites in Saturday’s game despite playing on the road. They are -255 to win while the Rangers’ moneyline sits at +210. The runline features Texas +1.5 (+122), and the over/under for total runs is 9.

Pitching Matchup

The Houston Astros will turn to lefty Framber Valdez to try to ensure a series win on Saturday. Since returning from injury, Valdez has arguably been the Astros’ best starter going 8-4 with a 2.94 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and has 92 strikeouts in 98 innings pitched.

The Texas Rangers will counter with a lefty of their own in Kolby Allard (3-10, 4.86 ERA). While it has been a rocky season for the southpaw, Allard has been hit especially hard as of late. In his last seven starts, he is 1-4 with a 6.87 ERA.

By The Number

Offensively, the Astros have been the best scoring team in all of baseball. They currently sit atop the list averaging 5.38 runs per game. The Rangers rank 28th averaging just 3.81 runs per game.

It is the Astros who once again hold the advantage on the defensive side. They rank fifth in scoring defense as they are allowing opponents just 3.94 runs per game. The Rangers rank 25th allowing 5.02 runs (4.48 at home).

Astros Try To Tack On Wins

With Houston’s win Friday night, not only did they get their first win at Globe Life Field, but they also secured the Silver Boot as they won the season series against Texas.

Trying to focus on securing an AL West crown, the Astros will try to take advantage of their struggling division rivals and tack on some more wins.

Leading the way for the Astros offensively as of late has been designated hitter Yordan Alvarez. In the last two weeks (13 games), he is hitting .278/.304/.593 with four home runs and 12 runs batted in.

Against Allard, keep an eye on first baseman Yuli Gurriel. He is three for eight against the lefty with a home run and three runs batted in during his career.

Rangers Look To Play Spoiler

At 44-84, the Rangers have had a dreadful season and currently sit 32 games out of first place in the division. Despite their poor season, they have an opportunity to play spoiler as the season winds down and would love to make life tough for their fellow Texas foes.

After another multi-hit game on Friday, Rangers’ infielder Andy Ibanez continues to be one of the hottest hitters in baseball. In his last six games, Ibanez is hitting a ridiculous .538 (14 for 26) with a home run and five runs batted in.

Albeit in limited at-bats, Nick Solak has had the most success of any Ranger against Framber Valdez. He is three for six with a run batted in versus the lefty in his career.

Take The Astros To Win On The Road

With the Astros being such heavy favorites, there isn’t a ton of value in Houston, but it is still hard seeing the Astros lose this game. Not only are they a far superior team with a better pitcher on the mound Saturday, but they finally got the weight off of their shoulders of not having won a game at Globe Life prior to Friday night.

Expect Houston to pick up another win on Saturday, and don’t be afraid to bet them to cover the -1.5 runs either.