Friday night features an American League Championship Series battle between the Houston Astros (2-2) and the Texas Rangers (2-2).
After the Rangers jumped out to a quick two-game lead, the Astros have now won back-to-back games to even up the series. Both teams will look to take a pivotal Game 5 in Arlington on Friday.
Astros vs RangersPicks
MLB Pick: Take the Astros to win (-103) and the over 8.5 runs to hit (-110).
As you analyze the MLB odds, read ahead to get a breakdown of this matchup and the Astros vs Rangers best bets.
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Odds
Astros vs. Rangers Information
Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers
Location of the game: Globe Life Field. Arlington, TX.
Date & Time: Friday, October 20. 5:07 pm ET.
How to watch: National – FS1 | FS1-INT
Recent Scores
- After losing the first two, the Astros have dominated the last two games, winning on the road 8-5 and 10-3.
- In Thursday’s 10-3 victory, Jose Abreu hit the crushing blow for Houston, a three-run home run in the fourth inning. Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez also combined for five runs batted in, while Jose Altuve scored three runs.
- On the mound, Jose Urquidy lasted just 2.1 innings after giving up three earned runs; however, the Astros’ bullpen pitched 6.2 scoreless innings. Ryne Stanek picked up the win despite just making one pitch, an inning ending double play.
- As for the Texas Rangers, starting pitcher Andrew Heaney lasted just two-thirds of an inning after giving up three earned runs. The bullpen continued to falter as it gave up another seven runs.
- Now, these division rivals, who finished first and second in the MLB standings in the AL West, will battle it out in a pivotal Game 5 on Friday.
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Analysis
Trying to win their third game in a row, Astros’ manager Dusty Baker will turn to veteran righty Justin Verlander. In two MLB games this postseason, he is 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, and he has 11 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.
In the first game of this series, he took the loss despite giving up just two earned runs over 6.2 innings of work.
Offensively, the Astros currently rank fifth out of all MLB teams in scoring, averaging 5.08 runs per game. They are even better on the road, where they are averaging 5.74 runs.
Yordan Alvarez continues to be a thorn in the side of opposing pitchers this postseason. In eight MLB games in the playoffs, he is hitting .419/.457/1.065 with a team-leading six home runs, 13 runs batted in, and 11 runs scored.
Rangers’ High-Scoring Offense
Before making any MLB predictions for the Texas Rangers, it is important to look at their scheduled starting pitcher. Manager Bruce Bochy will turn to 30-year-old southpaw Jordan Montgomery. Evaluating his MLB player stats, he went 10-11 with a 3.20 ERA in 32 games during the regular season.
This postseason, he is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts over three games. In a rematch of Game 1, Montgomery will be looking for a similar outcome as they won the opening contest.
The Rangers rank third in the majors in scoring, averaging 5.44 runs per game. Their MLB team stats show that they are averaging 5.96 runs per game at home.
Adolis Garcia and Josh Jung lead the team with three home runs apiece this postseason. Along with Mitch Garver, they each have three runs batted in as well.
MLB Injury Report
Looking at the MLB injury report, the Astros will be without pitchers Lance McCullers Jr and Luis Garcia. The Rangers are also missing a couple of pitchers in Jacob deGrom and Jake Odorizzi.
Odds Breakdown
Before determining the Astros vs Rangers best bets, it is important to look at the MLB odds for this game.
Astros Slight Underdogs
While this is basically a pick’em game, the Astros are technically slight underdogs in this contest. They are -103 to win on the moneyline. Their spread sits at +1.5, with odds of -210.
Rangers Try To Take Series Lead As Home Favorites
Hoping to at least win one game at home, the Rangers will look to take Game 5 as slight home favorites. They are -107 to win on the moneyline. On the spread, they are -1.5, with odds of +175.
The over/under for total runs is set at 8.5. Both the over and the under have odds of -110.
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Betting Pick and Prediction
For our Astros vs Rangers best bets, we will be taking the Astros to win on the road at -103.
This one boils down to value. The Astros’ bats have been red hot since coming to Arlington, and it would not be surprising to see that trend continue on Friday.
While Jordan Montgomery showed in Game 1 that he is capable of shutting the Astros’ offense down, there is just too much value in taking Houston to win this one.
As for the total, don’t be surprised if the over 8.5 runs hits (-110). While Justin Verlander is a future Hall-of-Famer, he is not immune to giving up some runs in his starts.
For our MLB predictions, take the Astros to win (-103) and the over 8.5 runs to hit (-110).
- MLB Pick: Take the Astros to win (-103) and the over 8.5 runs to hit (-110).
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