Rangers vs. Astros Pick
Can the Texas Rangers stop the momentum of the Houston Astros when the two close out their series today at 2:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bodava.lv, the Astros are the favorite in this game, as they are getting odds of -150 to win, while the Rangers are getting a money line of +135. The over/under total for the game is listed at 8.5 runs.
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Today’s pitching matchup has A.J. Griffin (2-0, 4.11 ERA) on the mound for the Rangers to face Joe Musgrove (1-2, 4.88) of the Astros. Griffin has only seen 15.1 innings of action this season, but he has allowed nine hits and seven earned runs. His last outing saw him go six, scoreless, allowing just one hit with eight strikeouts. Musgrove has more action on the mound, but not necessarily better. He has allowed 15 earned runs and 30 hits in 27.2 innings of work this season.
Houston has won the first three games of this series and picked up a 10-1 win on Wednesday night. The Astros are now 19-9 overall and 12-5 at home while the Rangers are 11-17 overall and 3-9 on the road.
Houston started quickly on Wednesday night, scoring four runs in the second inning and never looking back. With an early lead, Charlie Morton settled in on the mound. Morton pitched for six innings, allowing just one run and five hits while striking out eight. Nick Martinez didn’t fare so well, as he allowed six earned runs and three home runs in just 5.1 innings of work. Houston finished the game with four home runs in the win as Carlos Carrera, Brian McCann, Marwin Gonzalez and Josh Reddick all went yard in the victory.
I picked the Rangers yesterday and that didn’t go well. I don’t typically like picking a team to complete a four-game sweep, but there is nothing to like about the Rangers right now. Texas has struggled mightily on the road and they send another shaky pitcher to the mound. Musgrove hasn’t done great for the Astros, but Texas’ bats seem more likely to fizzle than Houston’s right now.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: HOUSTON ASTROS -150