Rangers vs. Astros Pick
Will the Texas Rangers find a way to get past the Houston Astros when the two AL West foes meet up tonight at 8:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bodava.lv, the Astros are the favorite in this game, as they are getting odds of -140 to win, while the Rangers are getting a money line of +125. The over/under total for the game is listed at 8.5 runs.
MLB Quick Links: Scores & Matchups | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Betting Trends | ATS Stats
Today’s pitching matchup features Mike Fiers (0-1, 5.12 ERA) taking the mound to face Cole Hamels (2-0, 3.03) of the Rangers. Hamels has been pretty steady this season, ranking from 5-8 innings in all of his starts while not allowing more than three earned runs in a single outing. His WHIP is just 1.13 through five starts. Fiers went just 4.1 innings in his last start, allowing a pair of home runs in a 4-3 loss to the Indians. He has a 1.60 WHIP this season with only 16 strikeouts.
Houston took the first game in this series on Monday night with a 6-2 win at home. The Astros now come into today’s game with a record of 17-9 overall and 10-5 at home. Texas is 11-15 overall and 3-7 on the road.
The benches cleared during Monday’s game between these two, so we could see some more fireworks tonight. The Astros trailed 2-1 for most of the game, but put up five runs in the seventh inning. Three doubles in the inning from Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel came through with the big hits. Tony Barnette was the reliever that struggled, lasting just 0.1 innings while allowing three hits and three runs. The Houston bullpen pitched 2.2 innings, not allowing a single hit.
I like Hamels on the mound today for the Rangers. He has been very steady and predictable in what he will give the team. While he may not shutout Houston, he should give the team a chance to win the game and get deep into the contest. Fiers has been hit-and-miss and the Rangers’ hitters will come into today’s game fired up after Monday’s dust up.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: TEXAS RANGERS +125