The American League Championship Series continues on Monday as the Texas Rangers (1-0) take on their divisional foe, the Houston Astros (0-1).
The Astros will try to even the series at home on Monday before moving on to Arlington for Game 3 on Wednesday.
Rangers vs AstrosPicks
MLB Pick : For our MLB predictions, we are taking the Rangers to win (+112) and the over to hit (-105).
As you consider your MLB picks, read ahead to get a breakdown of this matchup and our Rangers vs Astros best bets.
Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros Odds
Rangers vs. Astros Information
Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros
Location of the game: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX.
Date & Time: Monday, October 16. 4:37 pm ET.
How to watch: National – FOX | FS1-INT
Recent Scores
- Looking at the recent MLB schedule, the Texas Rangers were able to take Game 1 of this series on Sunday. In the victory, Jordan Montgomery picked up the win for the Rangers after going 6.1 scoreless innings.
- Leonys Taveras hit a home run in the victory and went two for two on the night for Texas.
- As for the Astros, they were able to accumulate five hits but failed to take advantage of any opportunities with men in scoring position. Justin Verlander took the loss despite giving up just two earned runs over 6.2 innings of work.
- As intrastate and AL West rivals, these two teams are obviously familiar with one another. In the MLB standings, the Astros were able to overcome Texas for first in the division on the last day of the season.
- After dropping 9 of 12 games during the regular season against the Astros, the Rangers are trying to capitalize when it counts most.
Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros Analysis
Trying to take a commanding two-game lead in the series, the Rangers will turn to 33-year-old righty Nathan Eovaldi on Monday. Looking at his MLB player stats, he went 12-5 in 25 games this season with a 3.63 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, and he had 132 strikeouts in 144 innings of work.
In two MLB games this postseason, Eovaldi is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA.
Out of all MLB teams, Texas ranked third this year in scoring, averaging 5.47 runs per game (4.98 on the road).
The Rangers were led offensively by outfielder Adolis Garcia and shortstop Corey Seager. For Garcia, he hit .245/.328/.508 with 39 home runs, 107 runs batted in, and 108 runs scored.
Looking at the MLB player stats of Seager, he hit .327/.390/.623 with 33 home runs, 96 runs batted in, and 88 runs scored.
Home Field Advantage
For Houston, manager Dusty Baker will counter with 29-year-old southpaw Framber Valdez in Game 2. During the regular season, he went 12-11 in 31 MLB games with a 3.45 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, and he had 200 strikeouts in 198 innings.
Offensively, the Astros rank fifth in scoring out of all MLB teams, averaging 5.10 runs per game (4.49 when playing at home).
The Astros were led during the regular season by Yordan Alvarez (31 HR, 97 RBI, 77 R) and Kyle Tucker (29 HR, 112 RBI, 97 R, 30 SB).
MLB Injury Report
The MLB injury report shows the Rangers are without pitchers Jake Odorizzi (arm) and Jacob deGrom (elbow). The Astros are missing pitchers Lance McCullers Jr (forearm) and Luis Garcia (forearm).
Odds Breakdown
Before determining our Rangers vs Astros best bets, it is important to look at the MLB odds for this game.
Rangers Try To Win As Slight Underdogs
At +112, the Rangers are the slight underdogs in this one playing on the road. In terms of the spread, they are +1.5, with odds of -195.
Astros Try To Even Series As Favorites
Playing at home, the Astros are the favorites in this one, with a moneyline of -122. The spread features the Astros -1.5, with odds of +165.
The total for this one sits at 8.5. The over has odds of -105, while the under 8.5 runs has odds of -115.
Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros Betting Pick and Prediction
For our Rangers vs Astros best bets, we will be taking the Rangers to win this contest playing on the road.
Looking at the trends, the Rangers are undefeated in their last six games overall and their last five games on the road. As for Houston, they are 1-5 in their last six home games.
In terms of the total, take the over in this one. The over has hit in four of the last six contests these two have had in Houston.
- For our MLB predictions, we are taking the Rangers to win (+112) and the over to hit (-105).
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