Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros Prediction, 9/17/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros

Date: Thursday, September 17, 2020

Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: ATSW

Odds/Point Spread: Rangers (+204) Astros (-225)

Ronald Guzman and the Texas Rangers (17-31, 5th in AL West) are headed to Minute Maid Park on Thursday where they'll meet the Houston Astros (24-24, 2nd in AL West). The Astros open this game at -225 while the Rangers are coming in at +204. The total is set at 9.5. The expected starting pitchers will be Jordan Lyles and Framber Valdez.

Key Texas Rangers Injuries

9/14/2020 Elvis Andrus SS Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/13/2020 Shin-Soo Choo LF Hand Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/13/2020 Jose Trevino C Wrist Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
9/11/2020 Joe Palumbo RP Abdomen Expected to be out until at least Sep 18
9/9/2020 Danny Santana 1B Elbow Out for the season
9/6/2020 Joely Rodriguez RP Hamstring Out for the season
9/5/2020 Corey Kluber SP Shoulder Out for the season
9/5/2020 Jose Leclerc RP Shoulder Out for the season
8/13/2020 Edinson Volquez RP Oblique Out for the season
6/28/2020 Brock Burke SP Shoulder Out for the season

Key Houston Astros Injuries

9/16/2020 Aledmys Diaz 2B Quadriceps Probable for Sep 16
9/16/2020 Chris Devenski RP Elbow Out for the season
9/16/2020 Justin Verlander SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 26
9/15/2020 Carlos Correa SS Ankle Probable for Sep 16
9/13/2020 Lance McCullers SP Neck Expected to be out until at least Sep 16
9/7/2020 Blake Taylor RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 16
9/5/2020 Rogelio Armenteros RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 23
9/4/2020 Austin Pruitt RP Elbow Out for the season
8/23/2020 Yordan Alvarez DH Knee Out for the season
8/12/2020 Roberto Osuna RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 20

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rangers have a 17-31 overall record this season. Lyles (44-64 career win-loss mark) sits with a FIP of 4.67 while he has gone up against 4,208 opposing hitters in the major leagues. His earned run average is 5.23 (553 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.445. He has allowed 1,041 base hits (9.8 hits per nine innings) and has had 335 walks. Lyles has pitched in 952 frames and has earned 723 strikeouts in his MLB career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.76 and they have given up 165 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .197 against the bullpen and they've struck out 197 hitters and walked 98 batters. As a team, Texas allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 5.18. The Rangers pitchers collectively have given up 379 base hits and 238 earned runs. They have allowed 64 home runs this season, ranking them 13th in the league. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 202 batters and struck out 409. They have walked 4.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.41 and their FIP as a unit is 4.87.

Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Texas is hitting .216, good for 29th in the league. The Rangers hold a .357 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .289, which is good for 29th in baseball. They rank 29th in MLB with 6.9 hits per game. Ronald Guzman is hitting .255 with an on-base percentage of .328. He has 14 hits this season in 55 at bats with 8 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .473 and an OPS+ of 115. Joey Gallo is hitting .187 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .318. He has totaled 28 hits and he has driven in 22 men in 150 at bats. His OPS+ is 98 while his slugging percentage is at .413. The Rangers have 332 hits, including 64 doubles and 45 home runs. Texas has walked 143 times so far this season and they have struck out 422 times as a unit. They have left 280 men on base and have a team OPS of .645. They score 3.73 runs per contest and have scored a total of 179 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Valdez (11-11 career record) has earned a 4.42 earned run average while giving up 8.2 hits per nine innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.92 and he has faced 720 batters in his MLB career. So far in his MLB career, Valdez has allowed 150 base knocks while totaling 159 K's in 165 frames. He has conceded a total of 81 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.412 and a FIP of 4.3. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.50 and they have given up 172 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 181 batters and walked 106 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.55. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 382 base knocks and 212 earned runs this season. They have given up 57 home runs this year, which ranks 21st in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 193 hitters and struck out 400 batters. They give up a walk 4.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.37 while their FIP as a staff is 4.60.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 17th in the league. The Astros hold a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. Alex Bregman comes into this matchup batting .261 with an OBP of .364. He has 29 hits this year along with 17 RBI in 111 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .459 with an OPS+ of 120. George Springer is hitting .240 this season and he has an OBP of .345. He has collected 36 hits in 150 at bats while driving in 25 runs. He has an OPS+ of 122 and a slugging percentage of .493. The Astros as a unit have 389 base hits, including 90 doubles and 55 homers. Houston has walked 156 times this year and they have struck out on 358 occasions. They have had 299 men left on base and have an OPS of .734. They have scored 4.96 runs per game and totaled 238 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Rangers/Astros MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Rangers (+204)

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