Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros

Intrastate rivals will square off on Thursday as the Texas Rangers (18-20) will square off with the Houston Astros (20-17). This AL West matchup will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston, with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 pm ET.

This will be the first of a four-game series between the two teams.

In their last series, the Rangers were swept in a two-game series by the San Francisco Giants before getting an off day Wednesday. In their last matchup, a 4-2 loss to the Giants, David Dahl hit his third home run of the season.

The Astros are coming off of a series win over the Los Angeles Angels. In their 9-1 win on Wednesday, the Astros hit five home runs. Starting pitcher Jose Urquidy was pulled in the fourth inning with a shoulder injury, but the Astros’ bullpen was able to finish the game allowing just a single run over the last 5.1 innings.

The Astros are the favorites playing at home. They are -188 to win while the Rangers’ moneyline sits at +156. The run line features Texas +1.5, and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.

Pitching Matchup

The Rangers will turn to righty Mike Foltynewicz (1-3, 4.50 ERA) in the opener. In his last start, a 5-4 loss to the Mariners, he went 6.2 innings allowing four runs on six hits.

Houston will counter with Christian Javier (3-1, 2.90 ERA). Javier struggled a bit in his last start, an 8-4 loss to Toronto), going 5.1 innings and giving up five earned runs. He struck out eight, but he also allowed four walks and two home runs.

By The Number

The Astros have been one of the best teams in baseball on the offensive side. They currently rank fourth overall averaging 5.03 runs per game. The Rangers rank 15th, averaging 4.24 runs.

Houston once again has the advantage defensively. They rank ninth overall, allowing opponents 4.03 runs per game. The Rangers rank 19th allowing 4.45 runs per game.

Rangers Look For Push In West

At 18-20, the Texas Rangers currently sit five games back in the AL West. They have been relatively consistent this season as they are 9-10 both at home and on the road. In their last ten games, they are 6-4.

Leading the way for the team offensively has been outfielder Adolis Garcia. In 28 games, he is hitting .292/.333/.585 with a team-leading nine home runs and 26 runs batted in.

While no one on the Rangers has a significant track record against Christian Javier, both Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Willie Calhoun have homered off of him.

Astros Trying To Keep Pace Towards The Top Of Division

The Astros currently sit 2.5 games back of the division lead and will look to continue to play well at home to keep pace with the division-leading Athletics. On the season, the Astros are 11-9 at Minute Maid Park and have now won four of their last six home games.

The Astros’ bats have really been clicking early on. They currently have six starters hitting .255 or higher, and four of them are hitting .310 or better.

That does not even count Kyle Tucker, who leads the team in both home runs (eight) and runs batted in (23).
One of the hottest Astros hitters has been designated hitter Yordan Alvarez. He is currently hitting .347/.378/.619 with seven home runs and 22 runs batted in.

Taking Astros To Win Opener

While Christian Javier has been less than stellar in his last couple of starts, it is still tough to bet against the Astros in this one. They have been playing well as of late, and their offense can do damage at most any part of the lineup.

Anything can happen when these two Lone Star State rivals square off, but the Astros at -188 seem like the best bet in this one.