Friday, July 17, 2015

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Martin Perez (0-0) vs. Collin McHugh (9-5)

The Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros on Friday at Minute Maid Park. Martin Perez is the probable starter for the Rangers and he'll face Collin McHugh of the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Texas at +140 and Houston at -150. The over/under was set at 8. The Rangers have a 38-45 over/under record and a 51-37 run line mark, meaning they cover 58% of the time. The Astros are 51-40 against the run line and have a 41-45 over/under record. They cover the spread 56% of the time.

The Rangers show up with a 42-46 record, including 26-20 on the road. Martin Perez is making his season debut for Texas, so there are no opposing stats against him to speak of. The bullpen has given up 280 hits on the season and have a earned run average of 4.38. The bullpen has struck out 237 and walked 108 batters this season while opposing teams hit .254 against them. Texas has a team average of 9.11 hits allowed per game and are averaging 6.53 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 4.22, they are 25th in the league.

Texas is batting .247 as a team, which is good for 22nd in the league and hitting .234 away from home. The Rangers on-base percentage sits at .312, which puts them at 18th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .400. With 114 hits, Prince Fielder leads the team while his team ranks 20th in hits per game with 8.4.

Houston is 28-16 at home while holding a 49-42 overall record on the season. Collin McHugh has a record of 9-5 while sporting an earned run average of 4.50 on the year with a 1.26 WHIP. The Astros have a record of 11-7 over the 114 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 116 hits. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 10-7. The team is averaging 5 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen has given up 185 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 2.67. The Astros bullpen has struck out 258 batters and walked 81 this season while opposing teams have hit .193 against them. Houston has a team average of 7.93 hits per game and are averaging 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.58, they are 10th in the league.

They are batting .240 as a team, which is good for 26th in the league and hitting .235 at home. The Astros on-base percentage sits at .306, which puts them at 22nd in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .417. With 98 hits, Jose Altuve leads the team while his team ranks 27th in hits per game with 8.02.

In terms of team defense, the Rangers have a fielding percentage of .979 with 69 total errors, 879 assists and 2,360 put outs. Over the course of this season, the Astros have accumlated 46 errors while having 975 assists and 2,433 put outs leading to a .987 fielding percentage.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 38-45 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 51-37 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 41-45 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 51-40 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Texas Rangers

07/15/15 P Martin Perez Elbow expected to start Friday vs. Houston Astros
05/29/15 P Nick Tepesch Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/7)
05/29/15 P Derek Holland Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/11)
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

Houston Astros

07/02/15 RF George Springer Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/1)
05/29/15 P Scott Feldman Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/27)
05/19/15 P Samuel Deduno Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/14)
04/28/15 SS Jed Lowrie Thumb Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/28)
04/17/15 P Brad Peacock Side Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/14)

Tony's Pick: Take the Rangers

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