Division Foes Both Struggling
Both the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers have been scuffling. The Astros started the season hot but have cooled off considerably. The Rangers have still yet to get anything going consistently after spending big money on free agents in the offseason.
The Rangers took the series opener 6-2 while the Astros won game two 5-1. The winning team has covered the runline in both games, but scoring seems to be limited.
Let’s check the latest MLB picks, stats, injury reports, and MLB odds for Astros vs Rangers. We’ve plenty of MLB predictions.
Runs at Premium for Astros
Jake Odorizzi finally broke through the barrier in his start on Tuesday night. He pitched six strong innings, giving up only a solo home run for the lone hit and run that he surrendered. It was exactly what the Houston Astros needed to keep their head above water in the AL West.
The Astros have been struggling, going 4-6 in their last 10 games. Runs have been coming at a premium for Houston, which is strange for a team that is stacked with strong veteran bats.
But the offense is in the lower half of the MLB in most of the major offensive categories. They need to get things going quickly.
Cristian Javier will make his first start of the season. Javier has been a spot starter in the past two seasons but works mostly as a middle reliever.
The Astros may be trying to staff a game together with their strong bullpen since they are in the midst of playing 17 days in a row and will not see another off day for 12 days. This could mean the MLB lines will be a bit lower for this matchup.
Rangers Losing Ground Fast
The Texas Rangers they are bleeding badly as they have played AL West foes in each of their last 12 games. They have failed to have much success against the division, squeaking out only five wins in those last 12 games.
Like the Astros, the Rangers are struggling to score runs and keep their opponent off the scoreboard. That doesn’t make for a healthy combination to win games. And when they do lose, they fail to even cover the runline.
The Rangers are sending young Glenn Otto to the mound for his second start of the season. He had a good debut last week against Oakland in which he gave up one run in five innings while fanning five hitters.
Astros vs Rangers Head-to-Head
Houston dominated the 2021 season series against the Rangers, winning it 14-5.
Both teams have failed miserably to cover the runline when they lose, mostly because their offenses have been so inconsistent. But when they do win, both teams cover the runline pretty handily. Now the hard part for sportsbooks is figuring out which team has the ability to beat the other one.
Astros vs Rangers Game Information
- Game: Astros (8-9) vs Rangers (6-11)
- Location: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
- Day/Time: Wednesday, April 27th. 8:05 p.m. ET
- Astros vs Rangers Live Stream: MLB.tv
Astros vs Rangers Betting Lines
Astros vs Rangers Prediction
In his last start against Houston in 2021, Otto was tagged for seven runs in 3.1 innings. And though his first start was good, it was against the depleted Athletics.
And with the Astros looking at more of a bullpen game, going with Houston to win and cover the runline is the best line of action.
When you bet online, take the Astros to cover the -1½ runline at +145.
