Sunday, August 7, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Yu Darvish vs. Joe Musgrove

The Texas Rangers visit Minute Maid Park on Sunday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Yu Darvish for the Rangers and Joe Musgrove for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Texas at -118 and Houston at +108. The over/under was set at 8. The Rangers have a 55-50-5 over/under record and a 60-50-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 55% of the time. The Astros are 48-61-0 against the run line and have a 46-57-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Rangers head into this matchup with a 63-47 record, including 29-30 on the road. Starting pitcher Yu Darvish has a 2-3 record with an earned run average of 3.29 and a WHIP of 1.12. He has 54 strikeouts over his 38.1 innings pitched and he has given up 31 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.28. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.74 and they have given up 367 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .271 against the bullpen while being struck out 266 times and walking 121 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 9.05 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.66 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.36. The Rangers pitchers have collectively given up 982 base hits and 473 earned runs. They have allowed 144 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 359 batters and struck out 723. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.79.

As a team, Texas is batting .262, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .246 average away from home. The Rangers hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.89 hits per game. Nomar Mazara comes into this game hitting .283 and his on-base percentage is at .335. He has 104 hits this season along with 43 runs scored and 43 runs batted in. He's struck out 68 times and has walked 28 times. Ian Desmond is hitting .294 and he has an on-base percentage of .346. He has totaled 126 hits so far while scoring 75 runs and he's driven in 65. He has walked 32 times and has struck out 118 times. The Rangers have 978 hits, including 171 doubles and 141 home runs. They've stolen 60 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 26 times. Texas has walked 281 times this season and they've struck out 823 times as a unit. They've left 678 men on base and have a team OPS of .749. They score 4.66 runs per contest and have scored a total of 513 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 34-24 home record and a 57-52 overall mark. Joe Musgrove will be making his season debut for Houston. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.08 and they have given up 302 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 397 times and walking 84 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.74 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.58 batters per nine. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.78. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 965 base knocks and 417 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 112 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 297 hitters and struck out 949. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.27 while their FIP as a staff is 3.65.

As a team, they are batting .242, good for 27th in the league while putting together a .235 average at home. The Astros hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 24th in baseball with 8.26 hits per contest. Carlos Correa comes into this matchup batting .266 and he has an OBP of .362. He has 106 hits this year along with 53 runs scored and 70 RBI. He's struck out 100 times and has walked on 56 occasions. Jose Altuve is hitting .357 and he has an OBP of .424. He has collected 153 hits so far while he's scored 80 runs and drove in 66. He has earned a walk 47 times and has punched out 48 times. The Astros as a unit have 900 base hits, including 193 doubles and 134 homers. They have 79 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 30 times. Houston as a team has walked 391 times this year and they have struck out 1,002 times. They've had 747 men left on base and have an OPS of .730. They score 4.39 runs per game and have totaled 478 runs so far this season.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 55-50-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 60-50-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 46-57-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 48-61-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Texas Rangers

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)
06/22/16 P Derek Holland Shoulder 60-day DL (6/21)
05/28/16 P Tanner Scheppers Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
05/24/16 CF Drew Stubbs Toe 60-day DL (5/23)
04/04/16 RF Josh Hamilton Knee 60-day DL (3/25)

Houston Astros

08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
08/02/16 P Luke Gregerso Oblique 15-day DL (7/28)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Tony's Pick: Take the Rangers

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