Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/30/2023

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Friday, June 30, 2023

Venue:  Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX 

Where to Watch:  BSSW

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +135, Rangers -155; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +135, Rangers -155; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +135, Rangers -155; Over/Under:  9 runs

Houston Astros:  43-37 (2nd place, AL West)

Texas Rangers:  49-31 (1st place, AL West)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Sean Murphy is on a HOT STREAK in the MLB: 73-51 ($15.1K) this season!. Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Houston Astros:  4-6 last 10

Texas Rangers:  6-4 last 10

The Astros entered their last series off of a win but lost their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1. They enter this game with a 43-37 record overall and have a road record of 21-18. This is the series opener of a 4-game series with the Rangers on Friday with the series finale of their series against the St Louis Cardinals still to be played on Thursday. They also lost the series opener of that series on Tuesday but won the 2nd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 17th in the MLB with a .720 OPS. Rookie pitcher J.P. France is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Ronel Blanco is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 1-0 with a 4.63 ERA this season. His team lost their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 ER, 2 HR, and 2 BB with 6 Ks on 2 hits through 6 IP against the LA Dodgers.

The Rangers entered their last series on a 2 game losing streak and lost their 3-game series against the New York Yankees 2-1. They enter this game with a 49-31 record overall and have a home record of 26-14. This is the 1st game of a 4-game series with the Astros on Friday with the 4th game of their series against the Detroit Tigers still to be played on Thursday. They also lost the 1st game of that series on Monday but won the 2nd and 3rd games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Their offense ranks 2nd in the MLB with a .801 OPS. Rookie pitcher Cody Bradford is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Jon Gray is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-3 with a 2.89 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 2 BB with 4 strikeouts on 3 hits through 5 innings played against the New York Yankees.

The current betting odds have the Rangers listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rangers have been rolling this season as they lead the division with one of the best records in the MLB and they also have one of the best offenses. Meanwhile, the World Series Champions haven't been having a good start to the season as they have a bottom half offense in the league and are trailing the Rangers in the AL West, fighting with the Angels for 2nd place right now. The Astros have been pitching well this season which has been winning them a lot of games, but lately their pitching hasn't been great as they have been giving up a lot of runs and Blanco hasn't been great in his starts either. The Rangers are going with Gray on the mound and he has been really good for them as a starter this year, especially in his home starts as he hasn't given up many runs in those. The Rangers will have the edge with this pitching matchup and their much stronger offense. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rangers to win this game.

Astros Rangers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, June 30, 2023 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Rangers 6 Astros 2.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Houston Astros Texas Rangers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Houston Astros: 43-37 (-4.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 60-48 (-14.1 units) on the moneyline when the total is 9 to 9.5. 31-23 OVER as a road underdog of +100 to +150. 6-3 OVER after 6 consecutive games versus interleague opponents.

Texas Rangers: 49-31 (+13.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 34-22 (+10.6 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 18-9 over as a home favorite of -110 or higher. 24-13 over in home games. 

Houston Astros:  M. Brantley (DH) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. J. Urquidy (SP) Late July - Shoulder. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) out for season - Elbow. Y. Alvarez (LF) Mid July - Oblique. L. Garcia (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Texas Rangers:  J. Leclerc (RP) Mid July - Ankle. G. Otto (RP) Early July - Shoulder. B. Miller (DH) Early July - Oblique. J. deGrom (SP) out for season - Elbow. J. Odorizzi (SP) out for season - Shoulder. B. Martin (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder.

“There's only one Altuve. That was Jose being Jose. Glad to have him back.” - Dusty Baker after his team’s win against the Cardinals in their game on Wednesday.

“I can’t say enough about the kid. We had to put him in the rotation when Jacob went down, and he’s done just a tremendous job.” - Bruce Bochy after his team’s win against the Tigers in their game on Wednesday.

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Jose Abreu (R) 1B

Yainer Diaz (R) DH

Jeremy Pena (R) SS

Bligh Madris (L) LF

Jake Meyers (R) CF

Martin Maldonado (R) C

Marcus Semien (R) 2B

Corey Seager (L) SS

Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B

Adolis Garcia (R) RF

Josh Jung (R) 3B

Jonah Heim (S) C

Ezequiel Duran (R) LF

Mitch Garver (R) DH

Leody Taveras (S) CF

Batting Average:  Mauricio Dubon (.285)

Hits:  Kyle Tucker (79)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (17)

RBI:  Yordan Alvarez (55)

Stolen Bases:  Kyle Tucker (14)

Wins:  Cristian Javier (7)

Saves:  Ryan Pressly (15)

ERA:  Hector Neris (1.14)

Batting Average:  Corey Seager (.345)

Hits:  Marcus Semien (96)

Home Runs:  Adolis Garcia (20)

RBI:  Adolis Garcia (66)

Stolen Bases:  Travis Jankowski (8)

Wins:  Nathan Eovaldi (9)

Saves:  Will Smith (14)

ERA:  Joe Barlow (2.00)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (4th season)

Texas Rangers: Bruce Bochy (1st season)