Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers odds, tips and betting trends

The Houston Astros (9-9) will visit the Texas Rangers (6-12), in the final game of a four-game series, Thursday at 2:05 PM ET. The Rangers are an underdog (+144 on the moneyline to win) when they host the Astros (-168). The starting pitchers are …

The Houston Astros (9-9) will visit the Texas Rangers (6-12), in the final game of a four-game series, Thursday at 2:05 PM ET.

The Rangers are an underdog (+144 on the moneyline to win) when they host the Astros (-168). The starting pitchers are Justin Verlander (1-1) for the Houston Astros, and Martin Perez (0-2) for the Texas Rangers.

These squads play again following the Astros’ 4-3 victory over the Rangers yesterday. Cristian Javier (5.0 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 4 K) earned the win for the Astros. Chas McCormick went 2-for-5 with a home run and an RBI to lead the team on offense. Brett Martin (0.2 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 K) was credited with the loss on the mound for the Rangers.

Here’s what you need to prepare for Thursday’s Astros vs. Rangers matchup.

Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Odds and Betting Lines

Major League Baseball odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 5:05 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

  • Favorite: Astros (-168, bet $168 to win $100)
  • Underdog: Rangers (+144, bet $100 to win $144)
  • Over/under: 8

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Astros Stats and Trends

Astros Betting Records

  • The Astros have entered the game as favorites 13 times this season and won seven, or 53.8%, of those games.
  • Houston has played as a favorite of -168 or more once this season and lost that game.
  • The Astros have a 62.7% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.
  • Houston’s games have gone over the total in six of their 18 chances.
  • The Astros are 7-11-0 against the spread this season.

Justin Verlander (Astros Probable Starter)

  • The Astros will send Verlander (1-1) to the mound for his fourth start this season.
  • The right-hander’s last start was on Saturday, when he tossed six innings while giving up three earned runs on four hits in a matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays.
  • The 39-year-old has pitched to a 1.89 ERA this season with 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 1.9 walks per nine across three games.
  • If he completes six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs allowed, he’ll earn his third consecutive quality start.
  • Verlander has three starts in a row of five innings or more.
  • The Rangers rank ninth in MLB with 81 runs scored this season. They have a .226 batting average this campaign with 15 home runs (19th in the league).
  • Among qualified pitchers in the majors this campaign, the 39-year-old ranks 12th in ERA (1.89), third in WHIP (.737), and 14th in K/9 (9.5).

Astros Batting Stats

  • The Astros rank fifth in Major League Baseball with 20 home runs.
  • The offense for the Astros has a slugging percentage of .356 this season, 17th in MLB.
  • Houston has a team batting average of just .209 this season, which ranks 26th among MLB teams.
  • The Astros have scored the 20th-most runs in the league this season with 65 (3.6 per game).
  • Houston has the 23rd-ranked on-base percentage in MLB this season (.285).
  • The Astros are one of the most disciplined teams at the plate this season, ranking eighth with an average of 8.2 strikeouts per game.

Rangers Stats and Trends

Rangers Betting Records

  • The Rangers have won in five, or 35.7%, of the 14 contests they have been named as odds-on underdogs in this year.
  • Texas has a win-loss record of 1-2 when favored by +144 or worse by sportsbooks this year.
  • Oddsmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Rangers have a 41% chance of pulling out a win.
  • Texas’ games have gone over the total in eight of their 18 opportunities.
  • The Rangers have an against the spread record of 8-10-0 in 18 games with a line this season.

Martín Pérez (Rangers Probable Starter)

  • Perez (0-2) gets the starting nod for the Rangers in his fourth start of the season. He’s put together a 3.86 ERA in 14 innings pitched, with 12 strikeouts.
  • In his most recent time out on Saturday, the left-hander went six scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics while surrendering two hits.
  • During three games this season, the 31-year-old has a 3.86 ERA and 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings, while giving up a batting average of .264 to his opponents.
  • Pérez has one quality start under his belt this year.
  • Pérez enters the matchup with one outing of five or more innings pitched this year.
  • He will match up with an Astros team that is hitting .209 as a unit (26th in the MLB). They are also slugging a collective .356 (17th in the league) with 20 total home runs (fifth in MLB action).

Rangers Batting Stats

  • The Rangers rank 19th in MLB action with 15 total home runs.
  • So far this year, the Rangers are 23rd in the league, slugging .341.
  • Texas’ .226 batting average ranks 18th in MLB.
  • The Rangers score the ninth-most runs in baseball (81 total, 4.5 per game).
  • Texas’ .295 on-base percentage is 21st in baseball.
  • The Rangers strike out 7.5 times per game, the fourth-fewest mark in the league.

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Astros vs. Rangers: Live Streaming Info & Game Time

  • Game Day: Thursday, April 28, 2022
  • Game Time: 2:05 PM ET
  • Stadium: Globe Life Field
  • TV Channel: AT&T Sportsnet Southwest
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

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