Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/01/2023

Game Time: 4:05 pm ET, Saturday, July 1, 2023

Venue:  Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX 

Where to Watch:  BSSW

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros -105, Rangers -115; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros -105, Rangers -115; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros -105, Rangers -115; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Houston Astros:  44-37 (2nd place, AL West)

Texas Rangers:  49-32 (1st place, AL West)

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Houston Astros:  5-5 last 10

Texas Rangers:  5-5 last 10

The Astros are entering this series on a 2 game winning streak and won their 3-game series against the St Louis Cardinals 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 44-37 record overall and have a road record of 22-18. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Rangers on Saturday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 14th in the MLB with a .727 OPS. Ronel Blanco is their starting pitcher on Friday while Hunter Brown is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 6-4 with a 3.62 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 7 Ks on 3 hits through 6 IP against the LA Dodgers.

The Rangers are entering this series off of a loss and split their 4-game series against the Detroit Tigers 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 49-32 record overall and have a home record of 26-15. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Astros on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 2nd in the MLB with a .802 OPS. Jon Gray is their starting pitcher on Friday while Nathan Eovaldi is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 9-3 with a 2.82 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 2 earned runs, 0 homers, and 2 BB with 5 strikeouts on 4 hits through 5.2 innings played against the New York Yankees.

The current betting odds have the Rangers listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rangers have been rolling this season with one of the best offenses in the MLB right now and they also have one of the best records as they lead the AL West. The Astros got off to a slow start this season and find themselves trailing the Rangers in their division, but their offense hasn't really been that good all season. They have been winning a lot of games with good pitching but their offense has been lacking and that will be an issue when the Rangers have been putting up a ton of runs in their games. The Rangers will be looking to spread the gap in the division with this series and they have Eovaldi on the mound to lead them to a win here. Eovaldi has been lights out as a starter all season, not giving up many runs at all all year and he has been great in his starts lately too. The Astros got hot on offense in their last series but they weren't facing a team with good pitching and Eovaldi is going to give their lineup a lot more trouble here on the road. The Astros also have Brown starting here and he hasn't been bad this season but he hasn't been shutting teams down either, and he will have a very tough time trying to shut down one of the best offenses in the league here. The Astros will revert back to their struggling offense with Eovaldi pitching so well lately and he will keep the Astros at bay long enough for the Rangers to take advantage of their scoring opportunities against Brown and the Astros bullpen which hasn't been great lately either. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rangers to win this game.

Astros Rangers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, July 1, 2023 (4:05 pm ET start time) is Rangers 5 Astros 2.

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Houston Astros: 40-36 (+11.5 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 56-40 (+10.6 units) on the moneyline on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5. 7-3 OVER after 6 consecutive games versus interleague opponents. 31-23 OVER as a road underdog of +100 to +150.

Texas Rangers: 36-35 (-14.3 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -125 to -175. 93-116 (-9.5 units) on the moneyline when the total is 8 to 8.5. 25-11 OVER when the total is 8 to 8.5. 19-9 OVER as a home favorite of -110 or higher.

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.

“You got to have that mindset that hey, you know, every run could be the run that’s the deciding run in that game. And you know, you don’t want to show anybody up or embarrass them, but you want to get yours too.” - Dusty Baker after his team’s win against the Cardinals in their game on Thursday.

“I think you have to be pretty excited when you look at the first half. Granted, yeah, we haven’t quite played as well, clicked offensively as consistent as we have been, but we’re in a good place. I like where we're at.” - Bruce Bochy after his team’s loss against the Tigers in their game on Thursday.

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Jose Abreu (R) 1B

Yainer Diaz (R) C

Corey Julks (R) LF

Bligh Madris (L) DH

Jeremy Pena (R) SS

Chas McCormick (R) CF

Marcus Semien (R) 2B

Travis Jankowski (L) LF

Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B

Adolis Garcia (R) RF

Josh Jung (R) 3B

Leody Taveras (S) CF

Ezequiel Duran (R) DH

Mitch Garver (R) C

Josh H. Smith (L) SS

Batting Average:  Mauricio Dubon (.286)

Hits:  Kyle Tucker (81)

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 (98)

Home Runs:  Adolis Garcia (20)

RBI:  Adolis Garcia (66)

Stolen Bases:  Travis Jankowski (8)

Wins:  Nathan Eovaldi (9)

Saves:  Will Smith (14)

ERA:  Jacob deGrom (2.67)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (4th season)

Texas Rangers: Bruce Bochy (1st season)