Astros vs. Rangers Prediction
Will the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers’ bats come alive today in Arlington when the rivals wrap up their series at 3:05 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot
(967) Houston Astros at (968) Texas Rangers
Sunday, April 1, 2018
TV: N/A, 3:05 p.m. ET
Likely Pitching Matchup: Gerrit Cole vs. Mike Minor
CURRENT ODDS
According to oddsmakers from online sports book YouWager, the Astros are -160 money line favorites to beat the Rangers, who are +188 on the money line to pull off the upset. The total, meanwhile, sits at 9.5 runs.
LINE MOVEMENT
The Astros opened as -155 money line favorites but their odds climbed to -160, while the Rangers went from +135 up to +144. As for the total, the number hit the board at 9.5 and that’s where it currently sits.
PUBLIC BETTING INFORMATION
As of this writing, 82% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Astros to win on the money line. Meanwhile, 53% of the betting tickets are on the over.
OUR PREDICTION
It’s tempting to back Cole in his Houston debut but I honestly don’t trust either pitcher. Cole is too big of a risk to back against a Rangers lineup chock full of left-handed hitters. On the other side, Minor is a 30-year-old former starting pitcher for the Braves that got injured and then resurfaced as a reliever for the Royals last season. The Rangers turned him back into a starter but there’s nothing in his past that would indicate he should suffocate Houston’s offense. The over is 5-2 in the Astros’ last seven divisional games, is 7-3 in their last 10 road games versus a left-handed starter and is 4-1-1 in the Rangers’ last six games versus a team with a winning percentage above .600.
SUNDAY MLB PREDICTION: ASTROS/RANGERS OVER 9.5
