Houston Astros at Texas Rangers 4/1/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Globe Life Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Gerrit Cole vs. Mike Minor

The Houston Astros head to Globe Life Park on Sunday, April 1, 2018 to take on the Texas Rangers. The expected starting pitchers are Gerrit Cole for the Astros and Mike Minor for the Rangers.

The odds for this matchup have Houston at -160 and Texas at +150. The Astros had a 89-81-10 over/under mark and a 93-87-0 run line record last year. The Rangers were 88-74-0 against the run line and had a 73-83-6 over/under record.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros were 89-81-10 against the over/under last year

The Houston Astros were 93-87-0 against the run line last season

Important Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers were 73-83-6 against the over/under last year

The Texas Rangers were 88-74-0 against the run line last season

Key Houston Astros Injuries

03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/30/18 1B Yulieski Gurriel Suspension 5-game suspension (eligible to return 04/03 vs Baltimore)
03/26/18 P James Hoyt Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Texas Rangers Injuries

03/30/18 P Joe Palumbo Elbow 60-day DL (02/23)
03/26/18 P Clayton Blackburn Elbow 60-day DL (03/19)
03/26/18 P Martin Perez Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Ricardo Rodriguez Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Ronald Herrera Shoulder 60-day DL (03/21)
03/26/18 P Tim Lincecum Blister 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Tony Barnette Back 10-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros had a 101-61 overall record last season. Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole had a 12-12 record with an earned run average of 4.26 and a WHIP of 1.25. He had 196 strikeouts over his 203 innings pitched and he gave up 199 hits. He allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.08. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.27 and they gave up 485 base hits on the year. Teams hit .232 against the bullpen and they struck out 662 hitters while walking 213 batters. As a team, Houston allowed 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings. They were 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Astros pitchers collectively gave up 1,314 base hits and 662 earned runs last year. They allowed 192 home runs last season, ranking them 20th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff walked 522 batters and struck out 1,593. They walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.9 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit was 3.91.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston hit .282, good for 1st in the league. The Astros held a .478 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346, which was good for 1st in baseball. They ranked 1st in MLB with 9.8 hits per game. Jose Altuve hit .346 with an on-base percentage of .410 last year. He had 204 hits last season in 590 at bats with 81 runs batted in. He had a slugging percentage of .547 and an OPS+ of 164. Carlos Correa hit .315 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .391. He totaled 133 hits and he drove in 84 men in 422 at bats. His OPS+ was 158 while his slugging percentage was at .550. The Astros had 1,581 hits last season, including 346 doubles and 238 home runs. Houston walked 509 times last year and they struck out 1,087 times as a unit. They left 1,094 men on base and had a team OPS of .823. They scored 5.53 runs per contest and scored a total of 896 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Texas had a 78-84 overall mark last year. With an earned run average of 2.55, Mike Minor had a 6-6 record and a 1.02 WHIP. He had 88 strikeouts over the 77.2 innings he pitched. He also gave up 57 hits. He allowed 6.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 2.62. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.76 and they gave up 539 base hits on the year. Teams hit .265 against the Rangers bullpen. Their relievers struck out 467 batters and walked 227 opposing hitters. As a team, Texas allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.9 batters per nine innings. They were 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.66. The Rangers pitchers as a team surrendered 1,443 base knocks and 742 earned runs last season. They gave up 214 home runs last year, which ranked 11th in Major League Baseball. Texas as a staff walked 559 hitters and struck out 1,107 batters. They gave up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they struck out 6.9 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.40 while their FIP as a staff was 4.88.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .244, good for 26th in the league. The Rangers held a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which was good for 18th in baseball. They ranked 27th in MLB with 8.2 hits per contest. Adrian Beltre comes into this matchup after batting .312 with an OBP of .383 last season. He had 106 hits last year along with 71 RBI in 340 AB's. He maintained a slugging percentage of .532 with an OPS+ of 135. Elvis Andrus hit .297 last season and he had an OBP of .337. He collected 191 hits in 643 at bats while driving in 88 runs. He had an OPS+ of 108 and a slugging percentage of .471. The Rangers as a unit had 1,326 base hits last season, including 255 doubles and 237 homers. Texas walked 544 times last year and they struck out on 1,493 occasions. They left 1,015 men on base and had an OPS of .750. They scored 4.93 runs per game and totaled 799 runs last year.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Astros -160

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