Astros vs. Rangers Pick
Will the Houston Astros be able to pick up another road win over the Texas Rangers, when the two meet tonight at 8:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Astros are favored on the road today, as Houston is getting odds of -135 to win, while the Rangers are listed with a money line of +125 to prevail. The over/under total for the game is listed at 9.5 runs.
MLB Quick Links: Scores & Matchups | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Betting Trends | ATS Stats
The pitching matchup tonight has Dallas Keuchel (13-5, 2.96 ERA) on the mound for the Astros to face Cole Hamels (11-4, 3.80) of the Rangers. Keuchel has given up seven runs over his last three starts, a total of 17.2 innings. Keuchel has 117 strikeouts with 46 walks and a 1.12 WHIP. Hamels has allowed six runs over his last three starts, a total of 21.1 innings. Hamels has 97 strikeouts this year with 48 walks and a 1.14 WHIP.
Houston opened this midweek series on Monday with an 11-2 win on the road. The road team has won four of the last five in this series. Houston is now 96-60 overall and 48-27 on the road. Texas is 76-80 overall and 39-36 at home.
Monday’s game saw the Astros put up eight runs in the fourth inning to carry them to the win. Colin McHugh wasn’t great, but he got his fourth win by allowing two runs over five innings. Andrew Cashner took the loss by allowing just one earned run over 3.2 innings, but that included seven unearned run. Marwin Gonzalez had four hits, including his 23rd home run of the season, and drove in four runs to lead the Astros. Evan Gattis had two hits and two RBI as well. Joey Gallo led Texas with his 39th home run of the season.
Keuchel hasn’t quite found his best stuff since returning from injury. He had a 9.00 ERA in July, a 5.05 ERA in August and now has a 3.20 ERA in September. While that is trending downward, he faces a Texas team that has been able to hit him up a little bit, scoring seven runs over 18.2 innings. Hamels has yet to allow a run against Houston over seven innings and I think he will pitch well at home against the Astros tonight. I like the Rangers as a slight dog at home.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: TEXAS RANGERS +125