Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros Picks and Predictions August 5th 2024

The Astros and Rangers are set to face off in an AL West matchup at 8:05 PM ET at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The Astros are favored on the money line (-125) and are looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The Rangers have won three of their last four and are 3rd in the AL West with a record of 53-59.

Monday’s pitching matchup features Hunter Brown for the Astros and Andrew Heaney for the Rangers. The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs, and the game will be televised on BSSW.

Watch the Texas Rangers latest game highlights!

Houston vs. Texas Key Information

• Teams: Astros at Rangers
• Where: Globe Life Field Arlington
• Date: Monday, August 5th
• Betting Odds HOU -125 | TEX +105 O/U 8.5

Hunter Brown gets the start for the Astros today as he faces off against the Rangers on the road. So far this season, he has made 21 starts and has a record of 9-7 to go along with an ERA of 4.11. Brown’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.40. In his 22 appearances, he has turned in 12 quality starts. Brown’s strikeout per nine innings figure is 9.78, and he is coming off a start in which he gave up four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had not allowed more than two earned runs in three straight starts.

Yainer Diaz has been swinging a hot bat for the Astros, going 14/32 in his last eight games with two homers and five RBIs. For the season, he is batting .296 and leads the team with 59 RBIs. Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez are 2nd and 3rd on the team in RBIs and have 19 and 20 homers, respectively. Tucker comes into the game on a three-game hitting streak.

As a team, the Astros are 3rd in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They are also one of the league’s top home run-hitting teams, coming into the game ranked 14th in the league. Overall, Houston’s offense has been good at home, averaging 4.8 runs per game.

• The Astros are 5-5 in their last ten games.
• Over their last five games, the Astros are 0-5 vs. the run line.
• Houston has an over/under record of 4-6 in their last ten games.
• The Astros have an average of 2.2 runs per game over their last five games.
• Across their last ten road games, the Astros are 5-5
• Looking back across the Astros last five games as the favorite, they are 2-3
• Houston has gone 1-2 in their last three games as the underdog
• In their ten most recent road games, the Astros have averaged 4.4 runs per game on offense

Left-hander Andrew Heaney gets the start for the Rangers today as he faces the Astros at home. He has made 21 starts this season and has a record of 4-11 with an ERA of 4.12. Looking at his overall numbers, Heaney has a WHIP of 1.27 and opponents are batting .246 this season. In his 22 appearances, Heaney has turned in five quality starts. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.81 strikeouts and 2.55 walks. Heaney most recently faced the Cardinals and took the loss, giving up six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

Corey Seager has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Rangers, going 10/29 in his last seven games with three homers and five RBIs. Seager is currently 10th in the league with 22 homers and is batting .277 for the season. Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien are also among the league leaders in homers, but Garcia is hitting just .209, and Semien is batting .244.

As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. Their team batting average of .239 is 15th in the league. Overall, they are 15th in home runs and have been good at avoiding strikeouts, as they are 6th in the league in this category.

• The Rangers are 3-7 in their last ten games.
• Over their last five games, the Rangers are 1-4 vs. the run line.
• Texas has an over/under record of 9-1 in their last ten games.
• The Rangers have an average of 3.4 runs per game over their last five games.
• Across their last ten home games, the Rangers are 3-7
• Looking back across the Rangers last five games as the favorite, they are 1-4
• Texas has gone 1-2 in their last three games as the underdog
• In their ten most recent road games, the Rangers have averaged 3.0 runs per game on offense

Astros, Rangers Enter Rivalry Series Desperate to Awaken Bats

The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are set to clash in a three-game series in Arlington, Texas, starting Monday. Both teams need a spark to reignite their offenses and turn their seasons around after some lackluster performances.

Recent Performances and Offensive Struggles

The Astros are starting a nine-game road trip after a frustrating 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, where they managed just three hits. Over their recent series against the Rays, Houston scored only four runs and hit one home run. They’ve only crossed the plate once in their last 19 innings and are averaging a meager 3.3 runs per game since the All-Star break.

Yordan Alvarez was one of the few bright spots, with two of Houston’s three hits on Sunday. However, the bottom half of Houston’s batting order (Nos. 5 through 9) went 0-for-16 with eight strikeouts, after a 2-for-15 showing in their 6-1 loss on Saturday.

The Rangers had a rough time as well, ending Sunday’s game with a 7-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox, marking the end of a series where they also managed just three hits. Despite solo home runs from Corey Seager and Josh Jung, Texas’s offense fizzled out after a promising start. Seager has been a standout, hitting three home runs in the series.

Adding to their troubles, the Rangers have been missing outfielder Wyatt Langford for the last two games due to back tightness. Texas has lost seven of their last nine games and has failed to score more than three runs in five of those losses.

Pitching Highlights and Matchups

Despite the offensive struggles, Houston’s pitching staff has been a silver lining. Rookie Spencer Arrighetti was a standout in Sunday’s loss, striking out 12 batters and limiting Tampa Bay to one run on five hits over six innings. Arrighetti’s 12 strikeouts were the most by an Astros pitcher this season. Impressively, Houston pitchers have recorded at least 10 strikeouts in 10 consecutive games, matching a franchise record set in 2022.

For the series opener, Houston will send right-hander Hunter Brown (9-7, 4.11 ERA) to the mound. Brown has a solid track record against Texas, with a 3-2 record and a 3.46 ERA in five career starts against them.

Texas will counter with left-hander Andrew Heaney (4-11, 4.12 ERA). Heaney has had a tough season and struggled in his last outing, allowing six runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. Before that game, Heaney had posted a 2.78 ERA in his previous six starts. Heaney is 4-6 with a 3.87 ERA in 18 career starts against the Astros.

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Strategic Importance

This upcoming series is crucial for both teams as they look to improve their standings. Texas, in particular, needs to halt their recent skid and start winning to keep their postseason hopes alive.

As the Astros and Rangers face off, both teams are desperate to wake up their bats and get back on track. This rivalry series promises to be a pivotal point in their seasons.

The Lean

For an over/under pick, our lean is on the over, as this is projected to be the 3rd highest-scoring game of the day. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Astros to pick up the win. Astros starter Hunter Brown has the highest strikeout projections among today’s starters, and he is also 2nd in innings pitched projections. On the other side, Andrew Heaney has the 2nd best strikeout projections among today’s starters for the Rangers.