Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/15/2023

Game Time: 8:15 pm ET, Sunday, October 15, 2023

Venue:  Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX 

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers +120, Astros -142; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers +115, Astros -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers +115, Astros -140; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Texas Rangers:  90-72 (2nd place, AL West)

Houston Astros:  90-72 (1st place, AL West)

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Texas Rangers:  7-3 last 10

Houston Astros:  8-2 last 10

The Rangers are entering this series on a 5 game winning streak and completed the sweep 3-0 in their best 3 out of 5 game series against the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS. They finished the regular season with a 90-72 record overall and had a road record of 40-41. This is the series opener of a best 4 out of 7 game series with the Astros on Sunday for the AL Championship Series. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .789 OPS. Nathan Eovaldi was their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Jordan Montgomery is making his start in this game on Sunday. He is 10-11 with a 3.20 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB playoff start, he allowed 4 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 2 Ks on 9 hits through 4 IP against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Astros are entering this series on a 2 game winning streak and won their best 3 out of 5 game series against the Minnesota Twins 3-1 in the AL Division Series. They finished the regular season with a 90-72 record overall and had a home record of 39-42. This is the 1st game of a best 4 out of 7 game series with the Rangers on Sunday for the ALCS. Their offense ranks 5th in the MLB with a .768 OPS. José Urquidy was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Justin Verlander is making his start in this game on Sunday. He is 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB playoff start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 3 BB with 6 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings played against the Minnesota Twins.

The current betting odds have the Rangers listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rangers have been red hot in these playoffs as they haven't lost a game yet by sweeping both of their playoff series. The Astros have also looked really good but they didn't have to play in the Wild Card and they lost a game against the Twins in their last series. The Rangers have had the better offense all season and it will be hard for the Astros to stop this Rangers offense with how hot they are, especially since the Astros have been much worse in their home games this year. The Rangers also have some extra motivation here as they were leading the AL West for a majority of the season but ended up losing the AL West to the Astros on season series as they both finished with the same record overall. The Rangers are the hottest team in the playoffs right now after beating the Orioles and the Rays and they will continue to roll here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rangers to win this game and take a 1-0 series lead. 

Rangers Astros Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Sunday, October 15, 2023 (8:15 pm ET start time) is Rangers 5 Astros 3.

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Texas Rangers: 95-72 (+7.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 56-39 (+12.7 units) on the moneyline when the total is 7 to 8.5. 10-5 UNDER as a road underdog of +125 to +175. 8-4 UNDER when playing in the 1st game of a playoff series.

Houston Astros: 62-52 (-22.8 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 40-43 (-29.8 units) on the moneyline in home games. 12-6 UNDER after a one run win. 28-20 UNDER in the league championship series.

Texas Rangers:  J. Gray (SP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. I. Kennedy (RP) out for season - Shoulder. M. Scherzer (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. B. Miller (DH) out for season - Hamstring. J. deGrom (SP) out for season - Elbow. J. Odorizzi (SP) out for season - Shoulder. B. Martin (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder.

Houston Astros:  K. Graveman (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. L. Garcia (SP) out for season - Elbow. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) out for season - Elbow.

“We had our work cut out going on the road against Tampa and Baltimore. Just shows the toughness with this ballclub and the deal with having to fly to Tampa. Trust me, they wanted to win one more game in the worst way. Didn’t happen. ... They put it behind them.” - Bruce Bochy after his team’s win against the Orioles on Tuesday which eliminated them from the playoffs.

“Oh yeah, we knew, and I was trying not to have nightmares, because I remember when Carlos was with us he hit that ball up in the right-center field seats up there. But we never got to Carlos, so that was a great, great victory.” - Dusty Baker after his team’s win against the Twins on Wednesday which eliminated them from the playoffs.

Marcus Semien (R) 2B

Corey Seager (L) SS

Mitch Garver (R) DH

Adolis Garcia (R) RF

Evan Carter (L) LF

Jonah Heim (S) C

Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B

Josh Jung (R) 3B

Leody Taveras (S) CF

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Jose Abreu (R) 1B

Michael Brantley (L) LF

Chas McCormick (R) CF

Jeremy Pena (R) SS

Martin Maldonado (R) C

Batting Average:  Corey Seager (.327)

Hits:  Marcus Semien (185)

Home Runs:  Adolis Garcia (39)

RBI:  Adolis Garcia (107)

Stolen Bases:  Travis Jankowski (19)

Wins:  Nathan Eovaldi (12)

Saves:  Will Smith (22)

ERA:  Jake Latz (0.00)

Batting Average:  Jose Altuve (.311)

Hits:  Alex Bregman (163)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (31)

RBI:  Kyle Tucker (112)

Stolen Bases:  Kyle Tucker (30)

Wins:  Framber Valdez (12)

Saves:  Ryan Pressly (31)

ERA:  Bennett Sousa (0.00)

Managers:

Texas Rangers: Bruce Bochy (1st season)

Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (4th season)