Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 5/22/2022

Time: 2:10 p.m. ET

Venue: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX

Where to watch: Bally Sports Southwest, AT&T SportsNet-SW

DraftKings: Astros -180, Rangers +155

BetMGM: NL

Caesars: NL

 

Rangers: 18-20

Astros: 25-15

There haven't been many times I've been wrong about a particular player on the Texas Rangers. But somehow, someway, the Rangers saw something when they brought back Martin Perez to the franchise.

Because this second go-around with the Rangers has shown that Perez may be the unsung hero of the pitching rotation. Perez pitched a complete game shutout Friday against the Houston Astros in the 3-0 win over the in-state rivals to get on the board in this series. But when you dive into how good Perez has been over his past six starts, it's truly incredible what this turnaround has done.

Perez has given up a grand total of three earned runs in his past six starts after giving up seven in his first two this season. He's also thrown 31 strikeouts to just eight walks in that stretch and is looking more and more like an All-Star with every passing start.

“He deserved that opportunity,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “Those things don't happen very often, a complete-game shutout. Maybe all the analytics will tell you to take him out right there, but he's been so good for us. He's built up a ton of trust in a short amount of time with me. So I felt like I owed it to him. In an age of ‘Follow the numbers,’ I felt like you follow your gut on that one. It could be special, and he did it.”

Perez has been a godsend for the Texas rotation, given the inconsistency of Jon Gray and the unknown of the rest of the staff. If he can keep this kind of stuff up, that's going to be something the Rangers can be happy about.

The Astros, like we predicted the other day, have alternated wins and losses in eight straight games now. Despite that 11-game winning streak, they haven't looked all that well-rounded since then. Which is what makes Perez's shutout surprising, yet not at the same time.

"He threw a good game against us," Houston manager Dusty Baker said. "He was keeping the ball down. He was cutting some. He was sinking others, which creates a double play, and he had a really good changeup. He didn't use his breaking ball much, but he was splitting the plate. He can pitch."

The Astros have yet to lay claim to the top spot in the AL West. At least, for now, the Los Angeles Angels are the best team. It's all about consistency from the bats. They had eight hits on Friday, but Perez was just mowing that lineup down.

We should expect some runs with Taylor Hearn and Jose Urquidy on the mound, and I think that favors the Rangers if this trend of alternating wins and losses continues. Hearn has been in need of a quality start, and I think it happens here, which would be huge for Texas' confidence. Rangers win 6-3

Rangers are 10-4 this season as an underdog between +125 and +175.

Rangers are 9-10 against division opponents this season.

Astros are 20-8 as a favorite 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 - Taylor Hearn

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 - Jose Urquidy

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