The second leg of a four-game series will take place between two Lone Star State foes Tuesday evening when the Houston Astros collide with an American League West opponent in the Texas Rangers. The Astros dropped Monday’s contest by an 6-2 final. The Rangers have gone 6-10 so far, whereas Houston is 7-9.
Lefty Taylor Hearn is set to toe the rubber for the hosts, looking to prove that his less-than-ideal beginning is nothing more than a hiccup. He’s pitched a combined 10.2 innings in three starts, giving up 18 hits and nine earned runs.
The Astros trot out a righty in Jake Odorizzi, who hasn’t had the best go of it, either. He has a 9.00 ERA and has given up a dozen runs in three starts.
Astros at Rangers Stats
Houston Astros Stats
The Astros are accustomed to contending, but if they keep like they have been early on, it could spell trouble for the club.
Designated hitter Michael Brantley and third baseman Alex Bregman have done their fair share for their team at the dish. Brantley paces the group with a .311 batting average and third baseman Alex Bregman with a dozen RBI. Bregman also has a team-high .369 on-base percentage.
Odorizzi, who hasn’t finished a campaign with a winning mark since he was in Minnesota in 2019, has a career 3.99 ERA. He only lasted 0.2 innings in what wound up being a 6-0 loss for his team against the Los Angeles Angels last Wednesday.
Texas Rangers Stats
With how much money the Rangers spent after last October, fans are probably expecting a little more out of the team than what it’s shown to this point.
Valdez has watched last year’s success – he had the second-best ERA in his major league career, won 11 games, and punched out 125 – carry over into this schedule, Judging by their early hitting struggles, the Astros might need all the defensive help they can gather.
In 63 at-bats, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe leads Texas with a .381 average, fourth in the AL in that category. Right fielder Adolis Garcia has driven in 10 runs. Lowe, catcher Jonah Heim, and shortstop Corey Seager all follow close behind with 9 RBIs.
Batting a collective .234, the Rangers are middle-of-the-road average-wise. They rank 12th in the MLB with 128 base knocks. Four different players with at least 33 trips to the plate – including second baseman Marcus Semien – are batting below .200.
A few more wins in this series could help give Texas the confidence it needs to get something going.
Astros at Rangers Betting Trends
Astros at Rangers Betting Prediction
Glancing at the main sportsbook MLB betting odds, the Astros are favored to come out on the right side of this one. Houston is -1.5 on the run line at +152, while the Rangers are -184 to cover the spread. On the moneyline, the Astros are -118, while Texas is a +100 underdog. The total is marked down at 9.5 runs, with the over being -105 and the under -115 as of this writing.
The Rangers stole one from their in-state AL West rivals in the first game of this season series. MLB expert picks believe that Houston will get some get-back in this clash.
Matchup Information
Conclusion
Both crews are reeling as of late. The Astros’ bats haven’t performed as well as their opponents’ have – hitting a fifth-worst .211 – but they also have some pop, having blasted 18 long balls.
The Rangers have an ugly 4.89 team ERA, which might allow Houston to create more opportunities. After contributions from both Semien and Seager Monday, Texas has won four of five. The bullpen also performed well in the win, as four relievers collaborated for 3.1 scoreless frames.
This one will probably boil down to whatever starting pitcher can turn things around on the hill. Take advice from the MLB betting trends and go with Houston to get back on the saddle when betting on baseball.
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