Heading into game two of this AL West matchup, it will be Nathan Eovaldi on the mound for the Rangers (76-61, 43-27 home), facing off against the Astros (78-61, 43-27 away) and Framber Valdez. Find out my prediction for today’s Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers game in Arlington.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS TEXAS RANGERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Texas Rangers +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Globe Life Field at 8:05 ET on Tuesday, September 5th.

WHY BET THE TEXAS RANGERS:

  • The Astros have gone just 1-2 in their last three games vs. the runline.
  • In their five most recent games as the favorite, the Astros have gone just 2-3 against the runline.
  • Opponents are hitting just .154 against Nathan Eovaldi in his last five starts.

HOUSTON ASTROS TRYING TO CLOSE GAP IN AL WEST

For the season, the Astros have put together a record of 78-61 and are 2nd in the AL West, putting them zero games out of first place. Houston’s overall series record sits at 23-16-4. On the road, they have gone 43-27 and 35-34 at home.

Framber Valdez will take the mound for the Astros with a 10-9 record. In 26 appearances, he has an ERA of 3.38 and has held opposing batters to a .225 average. The right-hander has struck out 164 batters while allowing 43 walks, resulting in a WHIP of 1.10 and a SLG allowed of .359.

Framber Valdez earned a quality start and the win in his most recent outing, as the Astros defeated the Red Sox 7-4. Valdez allowed four runs and five hits over six innings of work.

Offensively, Houston is ranked 5th in the league with an average of 5.1 runs per game. When looking over their last five matchups, the Astros averaged 5.4 runs per contest, which is 8th best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Houston is 8th in all of baseball, with a total of 185 home runs.

Alex Bregman has been a key contributor to the Astros’ offense this season, boasting a .272 batting average and .451 slugging percentage. In the team’s last ten games, Bregman has been particularly impressive, leading Houston in hits with a .472 average.

WILL THE TEXAS RANGERS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Rangers enter today’s game with an overall record of 76-61 which includes going 33-37 against teams with above .500 records. As of today, they are 3rd in the AL West. Across their 43 series, Texas is 25-16-2 and have records of 33-34 and 43-27 on the road and at home, respectively.

Today marks Nathan Eovaldi’s 20th outing of the season, and he has a stellar 11-3 record to show for it. His ERA is an impressive 2.69, with an OBP allowed of .263. He has fanned 111 batters and his WHIP stands at 1.01. On the road, his ERA is 3.03, while it is 2.99 at home.

Nathan Eovaldi earned a quality start and the win in his most recent outing, as the Red Sox defeated the Rays 5-3. The right-hander tossed six scoreless innings, surrendering just two hits.

For the season, the Rangers’ offense is averaging 5.5 runs per game. Over their last five games they have swung the bats well, sitting 10th in the league in scoring, with a total of 25 runs. Overall, Texas’ team batting average is .267, putting them 2nd in the MLB.

Adolis García has been a powerful force for the Rangers in 2023, leading the team in home runs with 34 and RBIs with 100. His slugging percentage of .498 is also impressive.