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The Houston Astros (78-61) will play the 2nd game of a 3-game series against the Texas Rangers (76-61) on Tuesday at Globe Life Field. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Astros vs. Rangers odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Astros lead 7-4
The Astros cruised to a 13-6 victory over the Rangers on Monday as 2B Jose Altuve and OF Mauricio Dubon both hit 2 home runs. Houston ended its 3-game losing skid with the victory and is tied with the Seattle Mariners for 1st place in the AL West.
Rangers SS Corey Seager also supplied 2 home runs in the lopsided series-opening defeat. Texas is 4-6 in its last 10 contests and is now 1 game behind Houston for 2nd place in the division and just 1/2 game ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final AL Wild Card.
Astros at Rangers projected starters
LHP Framber Valdez vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi
Valdez (10-9, 3.38 ERA) makes his 27th start. He has a 1.10 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9 and 8.8 K/9 through 167 2/3 IP.
- Last start: Win, 6 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 5 H, 0 BB, 5 K in 7-4 road win vs. Boston Red Sox Wednesday
- 2023 road stats: 6-3, 3.92 ERA (78 IP, 34 ER) in 12 starts
- Career vs. Rangers: 6-5, 3.05 ERA (76 2/3 IP, 26 ER) in 12 starts and 3 relief appearances
Eovaldi (11-3, 2.69 ERA) makes his 20th start. He has a 1.01 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9 and 8.1 K/9 through 123 2/3 IP.
- Last start: Win, 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K in 5-3 home victory vs. Tampa Bay Rays July 18
- 2023 home stats: 5-2, 2.60 ERA (52 IP, 15 ER) in 8 starts
- Career vs. Astros: 3-3, 3.83 ERA (51 2/3 IP, 22 ER) in 9 starts
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Astros at Rangers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:12 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Astros -120 (bet $120 to win $100) | Rangers +100 (bet $100 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Astros -1.5 (+140) | Rangers +1.5 (-165)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Astros at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 6, Astros 4
Moneyline
Even though Eovaldi is making his 1st start in over a month, there is value in backing the RANGERS (+100) in Tuesday’s divisional bout. Eovaldi was in the AL Cy Young discussion before serving a stint on the injured list and Valdez has struggled in recent outings.
Run line/Against the spread
While I have the Rangers winning outright, I’ll PASS on their run line at the current odds (-165). If you can get the run of insurance at at -150 or better odds, then I’d feel comfortable wagering on Texas’ run line.
Over/Under
OVER 9 (-105) is the lean as matchups between the Astros and Rangers have typically gone Over. The Over is 6-3-1 in the last 10 meetings overall this season.
Valdez has given up 3 earned runs or more in 3 of his last 5 starts, and the Rangers boast the 7th-best ISO (.211), the 11th-best wOBA (.337), and the 12th-best wRC+ (112) against left-handed pitching since the beginning of August.
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