Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/31/2026

Game Time: 8:10 pm ET, Friday, July 31, 2026

Venue:  Daikin Park, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  Apple TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers +110, Astros -132; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers +110, Astros -130; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers +105, Astros -125; Over/Under:  8 runs

Texas Rangers:  55-54 (1st place, AL West)

Houston Astros:  55-55 (2nd place, AL West)

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Texas Rangers:  5-5 last 10

Houston Astros:  8-2 last 10

The Rangers are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 55-54 record overall and have a road record of 27-29. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Astros on Friday. Their offense ranks 16th in the MLB with a .723 OPS. Cole Winn was their starting pitcher on Thursday while Nathan Eovaldi is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 10-8 with a 4.05 ERA this season. His team won 6 of their last 7 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 8 SO on 3 hits through 7 IP against the Seattle Mariners.

The Astros are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 55-55 record overall and have a home record of 26-27. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Rangers on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .728 OPS. Hayden Wesneski was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Hunter Brown is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 2-1 with a 3.45 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 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 0 walks with 7 strikeouts on 2 hits through 7 innings pitched against the Chicago White Sox.

The current betting odds have the Astros listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Astros haven't looked great in their games this season with their 55-55 record overall, but that record has them right near the top of the AL West. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark with their 26-27 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Rangers have looked good in their games this season with their 55-54 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL West. They haven't been a great road team though with their 27-29 road record this year. The Rangers have been leading the AL West over the last few weeks, but lately they haven't looked that great as they are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have the pressure on with the Astros right on their tail now. The Astros had a terrible start to the year and have spent most of the season well under .500, but lately they have been rolling. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games with a top offense in the league at the moment and they have all of the momentum on their side here, now back at .500 and right in the AL West race. The Astros are going with Brown in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 2-1 with a 3.45 ERA and has missed some time this season due to injury, but he was pretty much their ace last year. His team has lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting, but he is coming off a great start in which he gave up no runs and that has been a common theme for him. The Rangers are going with Eovaldi in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 10-8 with a 4.05 ERA and he has looked a lot better lately. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start which has been a common theme lately and the team has won 6 of their last 7 games with him starting too. As good as he has looked lately, that hasn't been the case all season and the Astros have been the much hotter team lately with the momentum on their side. Look for the Astros to take advantage of this pitching matchup and continue rolling here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Astros to win this game. 

Rangers Astros Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 31, 2026 (8:10 pm ET start time) is Astros 3 Rangers 2.

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Texas Rangers: 214-218 (-19.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 93-123 (-27.4 units) on the moneyline in road games. 78-117 (-23.2 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 21-12 OVER as a road underdog of +100 or higher. 16-9 OVER on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5.

Houston Astros: 128-99 (+10.6 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL team with a slugging percentage .410 or worse on the season. 151-130 (+13.5 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better. 107-98 (+7.7 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 14-7 OVER as a favorite of -125 to -175. 27-15 OVER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Texas Rangers:  J. Jung (3B) Ten Day IL - Calf. K. Higashioka (C) Ten Day IL - Flexor Tendon. J. Corniell (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Beeks (RP) Sixty Day IL - Back. C. Martin (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. C. Seager (SS) Ten Day IL - Back. C. Freeman (3B) Ten Day IL - Disc. J. Leiter (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Ankle. M. Helman (CF) Sixty Day IL - Hand. D. Jansen (C) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. R. Garcia (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. C. Baumler (RP) Sixty Day IL - Ribs. C. Bradford (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Montgomery (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Houston Astros:  S. Arrighetti (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Foot. B. Matthews (CF) Ten Day IL - Knee. M. Burrows (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. C. Correa (SS) Sixty Day IL - Ankle. B. Walter (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“The bulk of MacKenzie’s outing was fantastic. He was on the attack. A lot of first-pitch strikes. A lot of strikes in general. It’s just too bad that a couple of home runs cost him. That could’ve gone sideways quick with a bullpen game tomorrow, then we’d be having a different conversation and we’d have to make some different moves. It was spiraling and it could’ve gone sideways. But it did not. He shut them down the rest of the game, which I thought was a sign of growth. That’s a dang good start and he gave us a chance. But we just couldn’t get back into the game offensively.’’ - Skip Schumaker after his team’s loss against the Rays in their game on Wednesday.

“We are where we want to be, but we have work to do. It’s not time to be complacent. We’ve got to keep going.” - Joe Espada after his team’s win against the LA Angels in their game on Wednesday.

Wyatt Langford (R) LF

Ezequiel Duran (R) 3B

Brandon Nimmo (L) DH

Jake Burger (R) 1B

Justin Foscue (R) 2B

Cam Cauley (R) CF

Nicky Lopez (L) SS

Austin Wynns (R) C

Alejandro Osuna (L) RF

Jeremy Peña (R) SS

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Christian Walker (R) 1B

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Taylor Trammell (L) LF

Yainer Diaz (R) C

Cam Smith (R) RF

Lucas Spence (L) CF

Batting Average:  Nicky Lopez (.309)

Hits:  Brandon Nimmo (105)

Home Runs:  Jake Burger (19)

RBI:  Jake Burger (66)

Stolen Bases:  Evan Carter (14)

Wins:  Nathan Eovaldi (10)

Saves:  Jacob Latz (21)

ERA:  Marco Gonzales (1.50)

Batting Average:  Yordan Alvarez (.321)

Hits:  Yordan Alvarez (126)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (35)

RBI:  Yordan Alvarez (80)

Stolen Bases:  Cam Smith (10)

Wins:  Peter Lambert (8)

Saves:  Josh Hader (14)

ERA:  Alimber Santa (1.17)

Managers:

Texas Rangers: Skip Schumaker (1st season)

Houston Astros: Joe Espada (3rd season)