Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Yu Darvish vs. Joseph Musgrove

The Texas Rangers visit Minute Maid Park on Wednesday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Yu Darvish for the Rangers and Joseph Musgrove for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Texas at -120 and Houston at +110. The over/under was set at 8. The Rangers have a 73-64-8 over/under record and a 77-68-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Astros are 65-79-0 against the run line and have a 65-71-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Rangers head into this matchup with a 86-59 record, including 39-37 on the road. Starting pitcher Yu Darvish has a 5-4 record with an earned run average of 3.28 and a WHIP of 1.14. He has 103 strikeouts over his 82.1 innings pitched and he has given up 69 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.24. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.75 and they have given up 472 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .263 against the bullpen while being struck out 380 times and walking 170 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 9.04 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.17 batters per nine. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.40. The Rangers pitchers have collectively given up 1,297 base hits and 631 earned runs. They have allowed 182 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 482 batters and struck out 1,028. They walk 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.38 and their FIP as a unit is 4.62.

As a team, Texas is batting .264, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .248 average away from home. The Rangers hold a .437 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324 which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 9.01 hits per game. Adrian Beltre comes into this game hitting .298 and his on-base percentage is at .357. He has 158 hits this season along with 82 runs scored and 96 runs batted in. He's struck out 61 times and has walked 45 times. Ian Desmond is hitting .290 and he has an on-base percentage of .342. He has totaled 166 hits so far while scoring 103 runs and he's driven in 82. He has walked 42 times and has struck out 147 times. The Rangers have 1,307 hits, including 226 doubles and 196 home runs. They've stolen 84 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 33 times. Texas has walked 395 times this season and they've struck out 1,092 times as a unit. They've left 925 men on base and have a team OPS of .761. They score 4.83 runs per contest and have scored a total of 701 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 40-32 home record and a 75-69 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.78, Joseph Musgrove has a 2-4 record and a 1.29 WHIP. He has 40 strikeouts over the 43.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 45 hits. He has allowed 9.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.67. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have given up 414 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .225 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 541 times and walking 121 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.53 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.05. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,299 base knocks and 587 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 167 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 387 hitters and struck out 1,238. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.88.

As a team, they are batting .246, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .234 average at home. The Astros hold a .421 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 24th in baseball with 8.45 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .337 and he has an OBP of .398. He has 192 hits this year along with 98 runs scored and 93 RBI. He's struck out 66 times and has walked on 55 occasions. George Springer is hitting .255 and he has an OBP of .361. He has collected 145 hits so far while he's scored 108 runs and drove in 75. He has earned a walk 84 times and has punched out 156 times. The Astros as a unit have 1,217 base hits, including 263 doubles and 182 homers. They have 94 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 41 times. Houston as a team has walked 512 times this year and they have struck out 1,310 times. They've had 984 men left on base and have an OPS of .742. They score 4.56 runs per game and have totaled 657 runs so far this season.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 73-64-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 77-68-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 65-71-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 65-79-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

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 60-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

Houston Astros

09/06/16 P Dallas Keuchel Shoulder out indefinitely
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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Rangers

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