Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 5/20/2022

Time: 8:10 p.m. ET

Venue: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX

Where to watch: Apple TV+

DraftKings: Astros -170, Rangers +150

BetMGM: Astros -185, Rangers +150

Caesars: Astros -185, Rangers +150

 

Rangers: 17-20

Astros: 25-14

Before the Texas Rangers lost 5-1 to the Houston Astros in the series opener between the two teams on Thursday, it was a glorious week for the Rangers. Getting the sweep of the Los Angeles Angels at home was about as beautiful of a situation as you could ask.

Nathaniel Lowe hit the walk-off two-run homer to preserve another wild win for the Rangers. Again, unfortunate they could not keep the magic rolling in Houston, but we focus on the good things here. Like Jonah Heim getting three hits and driving in runs on Shohei Ohtani like he's become accustomed to as of late.

“[Heim] had a really good plan against him today, and he executed it,” said Rangers manager Chris Woodward. “I think he got a little bit lucky on a few of those and didn't hit them all that hard. The goal is to stay to left-center and stay inside the ball, not go to the pull side. … That was something he said. Jonah has been great, man. He's been really good for us all year. It's just consistent every day, every pitch, every at-bat. His quality has been probably our best.”

The good thing about what Heim did the other night is that it's not the big bats making waves. It's the middle-to-bottom of the order like Heim, like Lowe, like Brad Miller. If Corey Seager and Marcus Semien can get it going, it's going to be a luxury to have those guys hitting the way they are.

“That's what we talked about in Spring Training,” Heim said. “It’s just about putting pressure on the defenses. I know I didn't hit it as hard as I usually could or do, but they're all knocks and they're RBIs and they're base hits. So I'll take them.”

The Astros have not been as great since their 11-game winning streak came to an end. They've been alternating wins and losses, which continued in that win over the Rangers on Thursday. But leading up to that game, the Astros looked bad against the Boston Red Sox, losing 5-1 after winning 13-4 the night before.

The Astros had only two hits that game, a pure sign they could still use another bat or two to actually do something. It ended up being a somber night with Jake Odorizzi leaving on a stretcher, on top of Nick Pevetta silencing that lineup.

“He was good. He had great location,” Baker said of Pivetta. “It started out like we were going to have another night like last night. Altuve hits a homer, and Michael hits a bullet and then Yordan [Alvarez] hit one to the wall. Could have been a different game. But he was dealing, he settled down, he had a good high fastball, and then he’d throw a curveball on the same plane as the fastball.”

But in the win column, Jose Altuve dominated with a 4-for-5 day, and Martin Maldonado drove in three runs on a double in the eighth inning to break the game open. Once again, in trying to find some pop now that Carlos Correa is gone, it's going to be a collective effort. Altuve needs to hit the ball better, and the middle of the lineup could benefit from some sort of action.

In keeping with the tradition of the Astros alternating wins and losses, it's hard for me to look at Martin Perez and not think he can keep this going with the run he's on. The fact his ERA is creeping below 2.00 is incredible, and I think he keeps it rolling in what would be a fun win for the rivals. Rangers win 6-3

Rangers are 9-4 as an underdog between +125 and +175 this season.

Rangers are 12-32 the past three seasons as a road dog between +100 and +150.

Astros are 11-2 against left-handed starters this season.

Rangers:
Eli White (R) LF
Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Adolis Garcia (R) CF
Jonah Heim (S) C
Mitch Garver (R) DH
Kole Calhoun (L) RF
Andy Ibanez (R) 1B
Charlie Culberson (R) 3B
SP - Martin Perez

Astros:
Jose Altuve (R) 2B
Alex Bregman (R) 3B
Yordan Alvarez (L) DH
Aledmys Diaz (R) 1B
Kyle Tucker (L) RF
Jeremy Pena (R) SS
Chas McCormick (R) LF
Jose Siri (R) CF
Martin Maldonado (R) C
SP - Christian Javier

Batting average: Corey Seager -- .245

Hits: Corey Seager -- 34

Home runs: Corey Seager -- 8

RBI: Adolis Garcia -- 24

Wins: Brock Burke -- 3

Saves: Joe Barlow -- 7

ERA: Martin Perez -- 2.01

Batting average: Michael Brantley -- .285

Hits: Michael Brantley -- 37

Home runs: Yordan Alvarez -- 12

RBI: Kyle Tucker -- 26

Wins: Justin Verlander -- 5

Saves: Ryan Pressly -- 4

ERA: Justin Verlander -- 1.38