Marcus Semien will be looking to extend his 18-game on-base streak as the Texas Rangers (+110) face off against the Houston Astros (-130) at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday with the three-game series in the balance. The early total was set at 8 (O: -110 | U: -110).The Rangers (59-76) leveled the series 1-1 after winning 4-3 on Tuesday, their fifth head-to-head victory in 18 games this season. Taylor Hearn threw two scoreless innings in relief to get the win, and Jose Leclerc earned his third save with a scoreless ninth. Leody Taveras was 2 for 4 with one run in the win. Jose Altuve went 1 for 4 with a solo home run for the Astros (87-49).
ON THE MOUND
Cole Ragans (0-2, 4.42 ERA) is slated for the start for Texas. The southpaw allowed one run over four innings in his last start, a 2-1 road win over the Twins on August 22. He yielded five hits while striking out two and walking two in the no-decision. Ragans has made one previous start against the Astros this season, a 7-3 road loss on August 11. He surrendered five runs on six hits over 4.1 innings, striking out one and walking three. Right-hander Cristian Javier (8-9, 2.97 ERA) gets the start for Houston. He has made four appearances against the Rangers this season, all as the starter, giving up eight runs over 22 innings (2-1, 3.27) with 27 strikeouts and nine walks. In his last start on August 31, Javier got the win on the road against the Rangers. He threw five innings and gave up three runs on four hits, striking out seven and walking three in the 5-3 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Texas has averaged only 2.0 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.5, while performing worse across the board (.184/.244/.258). Against right-handed pitchers like Javier this season, the Rangers have a .679 OPS. Nathaniel Lowe is the team’s best hitter against right-handers with a .803 OPS in 351 at-bats. Houston is averaging only 3.6 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.5 for the season. The ‘Stros have a .754 OPS against southpaws in 2022. With a 1.088 OPS over 120 at-bats, Altuve has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Texas is 31-38 in away games in 2022, scoring 4.7 runs per game while allowing 4.2 runs. Houston has gone 44-21 at home this season, averaging 4.4 runs per game while surrendering 3.1. In the last 10 games at Minute Maid Park between the AL West rivals, Houston is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 3.7-2.8.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Astros lead the AL West by 10 games over the Mariners. The Rangers are fourth in the AL West, 27 games behind the Astros.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Houston Astros (-275)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
