Astros vs. Rangers MLB Picks: Pitcher’s Duel in the Lone Star State
The Astros and Rangers return to action after both teams had an off day on Monday. Here are our Astros-Rangers MLB picks for Tuesday.
The Houston Astros hit the road after a 4-2 homestand. They swept the Minnesota Twins before losing two of three to the Orioles. Still, they’re 82-47 on the season and well on their way to the playoffs.
For the Texas Rangers, they returned home for a three-game weekend set against the Detroit Tigers. They won the first game 7-6 before losing 11-2 and 9-8 on Saturday and Sunday. Texas is now 58-69 on the season.
Here are my Astros-Rangers picks and predictions for Tuesday's MLB game (odds via BetRivers, BetMGM, and DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Astros vs. Rangers Game Info
Date/Time: Tuesday, August 30th, 8:05 p.m. ET
TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, Bally Sports Southwest
Location: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
Weather: Dome
Astros vs. Rangers Odds Analysis
The Astros opened at -180 but are down to between -150 (DraftKings) and -162 (Unibet). They’ve received most of the tickets while the Rangers have most of the handle. The Rangers are as high as +143 (BetRivers) after opening at +150.
The total opened at 8 but has moved up to 7.5 across the board.
Astros vs. Rangers Projected Pitchers
Framber Valdez (13-4, 2.65 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) vs. Dane Dunning (3-6, 4.19 ERA, 1.37 WHIP)
Valdez has been as steady as they come for the Astros. Outside of a six-spot put up on him by the Angels on April 19, Valdez has allowed three earned runs or fewer in every start since. He’s also pitched at least six innings in 21 straight starts since that loss to the Angels. Valdez started against the Rangers on Aug. 11, going seven innings with eight strikeouts while allowing one walk and four hits in a 7-3 win.
Dunning has been solid as well for the Rangers. He’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in 18 of his 24 starts, including eight of his last 10. But it’s hard for anyone to be as consistent as Valdez has.
Astros vs. Rangers Picks
Check out the latest comprehensive and most trusted Sportsbook Reviews by SBR.
Astros vs. Rangers ML Pick
Astros (-150) ★★★★
The line movement on this game is confusing to me. Dunning has been solid for the Rangers but the Astros are on another level, especially with Valdez on the mound.
The Astros are 16-8 in Valdez’s starts while the Rangers are the exact opposite — 8-16 — in Dunning’s starts. In fact, Houston has won four straight Valdez starts and is 8-2 in his last 10.
Valdez has allowed two runs in 20 innings against the Rangers this season. Houston is 9-4 with a day off this season while the Rangers are 5-7. Those trends should continue on Tuesday. On top of that, the Astros are 10-4 against the Rangers this season and 24-9 over the last two seasons.
Astros vs. Rangers O/U Pick
Under 7.5 (-115) ★★★
Houston has gone Under the total in a league-high 75 of its games this season (61%). Texas has been on the opposite end of the spectrum with a third-highest Over percentage at 53.4%, but these pitchers have been great recently.
Valdez should once again allow three runs or fewer with Dunning allowing three or four. The Under is 9-4-1 in the 15 meetings this season and I could see another low-scoring Astros win.
Astros vs. Rangers Prop Pick
Tucker Over 1.5 Total Bases (+110) ★★★
Tucker has tormented the Rangers this season. He’s had four total bases in three of seven games at Globe Life Field and had Over two in two others, giving him 2+ total bases in five of seven away meetings this season. On top of that, he’s 3-for-8 with a home run against Dunning, but it’s a small sample size so take that with a grain of salt.
Still, he bats .282 vs. RHP as opposed to .224 vs. LHP and hit 2+ total bases in 8 of 14 total meetings this season. Tucker is also hitting well recently with at least two total bases in seven of his last 10 games.
Where to Bet on Astros-Rangers Picks
Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:
FanDuel Sportsbook
Caesars Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook
PointsBet
BetMGM
SEE ALSO: All picks, odds, and sports betting news. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.
Astros-Rangers picks made on 8/30/2022 at 1:18 p.m. ET.
