Sunday, September 4, 2016

Globe Life Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Collin McHugh vs. Yu Darvish

The Houston Astros head to Globe Life Park on Sunday to take on the Texas Rangers. The probable pitchers are Collin McHugh for the Astros and Yu Darvish for the Rangers. The opening line for this game has Houston at +155 and Texas at -165. The over/under is 9. The Astros have a 60-66-8 over/under mark and a 60-74-0 run line record, meaning they cover 45% of the time. The Rangers are 73-62-0 against the run line and have a 66-61-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Astros head into this game with a 71-63 record, and they are 32-34 on the road. Starting pitcher Collin McHugh has a 9-10 record with an ERA of 4.80 and a WHIP of 1.49. He has 146 strikeouts during his 148 innings pitched and he has given up 180 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 10.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.09. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have allowed 384 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .230 against the pen while they've been struck out 489 times and walked 106 times this year. As a unit, Houston has given up 8.97 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.57 hitters per nine. They are 9th in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.95. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 1,211 base hits and 533 earned runs. They have allowed 156 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 349 batters and struck out 1,158. They walk 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 3.85.

As a team, Houston is hitting .246, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .256 average on the road. The Astros have a .420 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .321 which is good for 17th in the league. They rank 24th in baseball with 8.43 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this game hitting .348 and his on-base percentage is at .409. He has 184 hits this season along with 95 runs scored and 89 runs batted in. He's struck out 61 times and has walked 52 times. George Springer is hitting .256 and he has an on-base percentage of .357. He has totaled 136 hits so far while scoring 99 runs and he's driven in 73. He has walked 74 times and has struck out 141 times. The Astros have 1,130 hits, including 246 doubles and 167 home runs. They've stolen 88 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 36 times. Houston has walked 476 times this season and they've struck out 1,217 times as a unit. They've left 916 men on base and have a team OPS of .741. They score 4.58 runs per contest and have scored a total of 614 runs so far this year.

Texas comes into this game with a 46-21 home mark and a 81-54 overall record. With an ERA of 3.01, Yu Darvish has a 5-3 record and a 1.12 WHIP. He has 90 strikeouts over the 71.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 59 hits. He has allowed 7.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.23. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.76 and they have given up 438 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .265 against the Rangers bullpen while being struck out 340 times and walking 153 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 9 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.02 batters per nine. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.31. The Rangers pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,202 base knocks and 575 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 164 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a staff has walked 438 hitters and struck out 937. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.58.

As a team, they are batting .264, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .280 average at home. The Rangers hold a .434 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 8.96 hits per contest. Adrian Beltre comes into this matchup batting .288 and he has an OBP of .348. He has 141 hits this year along with 74 runs scored and 89 RBI. He's struck out 58 times and has walked on 41 occasions. Ian Desmond is hitting .289 and he has an OBP of .339. He has collected 154 hits so far while he's scored 92 runs and drove in 78. He has earned a walk 37 times and has punched out 138 times. The Rangers as a unit have 1,209 base hits, including 206 doubles and 180 homers. They have 78 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 30 times. Texas as a team has walked 361 times this year and they have struck out 1,008 times. They've had 852 men left on base and have an OPS of .757. They score 4.78 runs per game and have totaled 645 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 60-66-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 60-74-0 against the run line so far this season

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 66-61-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 73-62-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

09/02/16 1B Marwin Gonzalez Hamstring "?" Saturday vs. Texas Rangers
08/13/16 LF Preston Tucker Shoulder 15-day DL (8/11)
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Texas Rangers

08/27/16 P Jeremy Jeffress Suspension placed on restricted list
08/24/16 P Shawn Tolleson Back 60-day DL (8/23)
08/18/16 P Lucas Harrell Groin 15-day DL (8/17)
08/15/16 RF Shin-Soo Choo Forearm 15-day DL (8/15)
07/20/16 DH Prince Fielder Neck 15-day DL (7/19), out for season
06/26/16 P Colby Lewis Back 60-day DL (6/22)
05/28/16 P Tanner Scheppers Knee 60-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Rangers

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