Thursday, September 17, 2015

Globe Life Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Lance McCullers (5-5) vs. Colby Lewis (15-8)

The Texas Rangers welcome the Houston Astros to Globe Life Park on Thursday. The Astros send Lance McCullers to the mound to face Colby Lewis of the Rangers. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -112 and Texas at +102. The over/under was set at 9. The Astros, with a 77-68 run line record, cover the spread 53% of the time. They also have a 64-73 over/under record. The Rangers have a 60-75 over/under record and a 86-58 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 60% of the time.

The Astros come into this game with a 77-68 record, and they are 29-44 away from home. Starting pitcher Lance McCullers holds a 5-5 record with an earned run average of 3.10 and a WHIP of 1.21. The Astros are 7-11 over his 101.2 innings pitched and he's also given up 87 hits over that time period. The Astros are also 7-8 against the over/under in his starts. The team is averaging 4 runs when he starts. The bullpen's earned run average is currently 2.95 and they've given up 313 hits on the season. Opposing teams are hitting .206 against the Astros bullpen while walking 121 times and striking out 408 times. Houston is averaging 7.89 strikeouts per game while getting 8.02 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 4th in baseball in team earned run average at 3.41.

Houston is batting .244 as a team, which is good for 28th in the league and hitting .240 away from home. Ranked at 23rd in the league in on-base percentage, the Astros sit at .310 and they hold a .424 team slugging percentage. Jose Altuve leads the team in hits with 176 while the team ranks 28th in baseball with 8.21 hits per game.

With a 77-67 overall record, Texas will come into this game 36-33 at home. With an earned run average of 4.45, Colby Lewis will come into this game holding a 15-8 record and a 1.21 WHIP. The Rangers have a record of 15-14 over the 184 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 183 hits. The Rangers are also 16-11 against the over/under in his starts. The team is averaging 5.5 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen's earned run average is currently at 4.28 and they have given up 426 hits on the season. Opposing teams are hitting .247 against the Rangers bullpen while walking 184 times and striking out 408 times. Texas is averaging 6.76 strikeouts per game while getting 9.09 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.30.

They are batting .254 as a team, which is good for 12th in the league and hitting .274 at home. Ranked at 13th in the league in on-base percentage, the Rangers sit at .321 and they hold a .406 team slugging percentage. Prince Fielder leads the team in hits with 166 while the team ranks 14th in baseball with 8.63 hits a game.

The Astros have committed 71 errors and have combined for 1,462 assists and 3,876 put outs leading to a .987 team fielding percentage. The Rangers have committed 106 errors on the season with 1,489 assists and 3,848 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .981 on the year.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 64-73 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 77-68 against the run line so far this season

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 60-75 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 86-58 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

09/15/15 SS Jed Lowrie Foot "?" Wednesday vs. Texas Rangers
09/15/15 2B Marwin Gonzalez Finger out indefinitely
09/15/15 CF Carlos Gomez Side expected to miss series vs. Texas Rangers
09/11/15 P Scott Feldman Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (9/14); out for season
08/30/15 C Jason Castro Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/29)
05/19/15 P Samuel Deduno Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/14), out for season
04/17/15 P Brad Peacock Hip Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/14); out for season

Texas Rangers

09/10/15 RF Josh Hamilton Knee out indefinitely
09/02/15 P Alex Claudio Groin Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (9/1)
08/25/15 CF Leonys Martin Hand Injury is on the 15 day disabled list
08/13/15 1B Kyle Blanks Achilles Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (6/17)
08/02/15 P Tanner Scheppers Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/2)
08/01/15 C Robinson Chirinos Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/31)
05/29/15 P Nick Tepesch Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/7)
04/06/15 P Lisalverto Bonilla Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/31)
04/06/15 P Yu Darvish Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/6), out for season
04/04/15 RF Antoan Richardson Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/2)
04/04/15 2B Jurickson Profar Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (2/24), out for season

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros

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