Gambling NewsSports Betting NewsSports Betting Picks

Texas Rangers at Houston Astros Betting Preview

The Lone Star Series continues on Tuesday as the Texas Rangers (48-60), and Houston Astros (70-40) get set to kick off the first of a three-game series. The Astros will host this one at Minute Maid Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:10 pm ET.

Coming into this series, the Rangers were able to split with the Chicago White Sox, although they dropped the finale on Sunday 8-2. In the loss, Nathaniel Lowe hit his 16th home run of the season, but Spencer Howard struggled, giving up six runs (five earned) in just 3.1 innings of work.

Houston also split their last series with the Cleveland Guardians. After winning the first two games, the Astros’ offense was shut down as they lost the last two 4-1 and 1-0. In Sunday’s finale, Christian Javier pitched well, allowing just one run over six innings, but the offense only managed two hits in the MLB game.

The Astros are the heavy favorite playing at home Tuesday. They are -200 to win while the Rangers’ moneyline sits at +168. The runline features Texas +1.5 (-128), and the over/under for total runs is eight.

Rangers Looking To Take Down Intrastate Rival

At 48-60, the Texas Rangers sit in third place in the AL West, but they are also 21 games back of the Astros. Still, with bragging rights on the line, Texas will look to improve on their all-time 128-117 record over the Astros in the Lone Star Series.

On the mound for Texas will be their ace, Martin Perez. In 21 games, Perez is 9-2 with a 2.47 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and has 116 strikeouts in 131 innings.

In his last three starts combined, Perez has given up just three runs in his last 20 innings. In that span, he has allowed just 12 hits while striking out 21.

Offensively, Nathaniel Lowe and Marcus Semien have both hit the Astros’ Jose Urquidy well in their careers. Lowe is two for six with a home run and two runs batted in. For Semien, he is hitting .375 in 16 at bats and also has a home run and two runs batted in.

Overall, the Rangers’ best hitter has been shortstop Corey Seager. In 395 at bats, he is hitting .248/.328/.468 with a team-leading 24 home runs. He also has 55 runs batted in and 56 runs scored.

Astros’ Offense Looks To Bounce Back

Averaging 4.42 runs per game, the Astros rank 14th in the majors in scoring. Unfortunately for Houston fans, to end their last series, the bats went cold. The Astros will try to bounce back at home, where they are 34-17 this season.

Righty Jose Urquidy will take the ball in Tuesday’s opener. In 20 games this season, Urquidy is 10-4 with a 3.62 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and has 90 strikeouts in 114.1 innings.

Urquidy was brilliant in his last start against the Red Sox. He threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out 10.

Against lefties this season, Jose Altuve has been the Astros’ best hitter. In 92 at bats versus southpaws, he is hitting .326/.392/.717 with nine home runs and 13 runs batted in.

Overall, Yordan Alvarez continues to be the Astros’ biggest threat at the plate. He is hitting .300/.407/.638 with a team-leading 30 home runs, 73 runs batted in, and 69 runs scored.

Take Texas On The Runline

Looking at the trends, the Rangers have struggled immensely as of late. They are 2-5 in their last seven overall, they are 2-8 in their last ten games against Houston, and they are 6-12 in their last 18 road games.

Still, Houston is just struggling to score a ton of runs lately. The under hit in ten of the last 11 games against Texas and four of the last five games the Astros have played at home.

As a result, while it might be tough to take the Rangers straight up, it might not be a bad bet to take them on the run line at +1.5 (-128). Given the trends, taking the under (-110) might be a strong play as well, especially with two solid pitchers on the mound.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also
Close